A Dangerous Road to Conquer
by MetalDargon
Summary: The story of a trainer, his pokemon, and his desire to conquer the league. Three hundred years after Red became the Indigo Champion, trouble is brewing amongst the people of Kanto. Despite the turbulent times, a boy rises to meet the challenges on the road in front of him.
1. Chapter 1

A Dangerous Road to Conquer

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies. The characters written about in this fic are based upon the fictional characters created by Pokemon and its affiliated companies, and the story is not written for profit. I have also taken some inspiration from fanfics written by L. Lamora, Crukix, and Digital Skitty, so a very big thank you to them.

Author's note: Hey everyone, this is my first fic so give me some constructive criticism so that my writing can improve, but go easy; no one has perfect writing in the beginning. Well, welcome to my mind…. Let it consume you

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A crowd roars in the distance while I sit in a comfortable red-cushioned chair. I've been here many times before, a state of unabated and unadulterated suspense and anticipation. Despite the numerous times I've found myself here, the elevated sense of suspense has never lost its seductive hold over me.

I've come a long way to prove that not only am I the best, but also that my pokemon are, as well. While I sit in rapt suspense, my mind wanders to the beginning. It seems like so long ago…

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I grew up in Viridian City in the year 2055. At the time of my birth, my family was one of the wealthiest families in the Viridian province. My father, Patrick MacAfee, was a Rapidash breeder, and his prized stallions were some of the most coveted racing steeds in Kanto, due to their expertly-bred characteristics of speed and stamina. His ranch, MacAfee Fire Grounds, was known far and wide, and allowed our family a level of fame and prestige.

Due to his knowledge of the ferocity of those beasts, even when tamed, my father denied his only son the opportunity to pursue a life as a pokemon trainer at the normal age of fifteen. All of my attempts to persuade him otherwise ended in failure. "People die every day because they underestimate the power and loyalty of pokemon," he would say. PokeAdvocates and marketing companies portrayed pokemon as cute and loyal creatures, but a wise person would look past the misleading caricatures and be wary of them in the wild. Pokemon are feral animals; they have to survive in a world where predator and prey constantly become stronger.

The remarkable traits of pokemon are their ever-growing strength, their adaptive power, and their breeding traits. The more powerful a pokemon becomes, the more powerful its offspring would be upon birth. This is how the young can survive in notoriously dangerous environments like Cerulean Cave. For example, a level 20 Rhydon's level 1 offspring would be weaker than a level 1 Rhyhorn birthed by a level 30 Rhydon. Furthermore, the stronger a trained pokemon grows, the more difficult it becomes to control, since strong pokemon desire a trainer who can recognize and raise their potentials. The trainer has to have a special bond with the pokemon to keep it from turning on him or her. A pokemon whose master has passed away would commonly return to the wild.

The strength of a pokemon can be measured by high-tech scanners embedded in a trainer's PokeDex that gather information through a thin laser. Upon contact with a pokemon, the laser scans the subject's body and sends back a host of data which the PokeDex analyzes. The PokeDex then produces a rating for the pokemon based on a holistic analysis of the pokemon's strength and capability.

One of the most amazing traits that pokemon possess is their ability to adapt. They will adapt to nearly any condition or situation they are met with, including a world in which humans are becoming more prominent. Pokemon evolve not only in physical stature, but also in mental acuity.

Throughout my studies in my youth, I learned that pokemon trainers began their adventures at the age of eleven over two hundred and fifty years ago. As humans multiplied and advanced technologically, pokemon evolved alongside them to survive and avoid being pushed out of their habitats by expanding industry. The evolution of pokemon in general took the form of size, ferocity, intelligence, and even submission. This allowed some pokemon to defend their habitats, slow the expansion of civilization, or integrate into human society.

As a result of the adaptation of wild pokemon, a trainer's life became more difficult and dangerous. After a time, when the trainer mortality rate reached 60% in the first eight months of their journeys, the Indigo League began to raise the minimum starting age. The starting age rose steadily over the years, and it now stands at fifteen years of age. Pokemon are more dangerous than ever these days, and they have also begun migrating between regions. It isn't unusual to see pokemon from Johto or Sinnoh in the wilds of Kanto.

I have always been in love with pokemon. My first memory even involves playing with a newly born Ponyta colt. The sheer power they can employ, the ferocity they fight with, and the loyalty they can develop; watching the majesty of my father's many Rapidash never failed to leave me in a trance. I knew in my heart that one day I would become a trainer, despite my father's trepidation.

During my youth, I spent the majority of my free time reading about pokemon and studying their types. I found _almost_ all pokemon amazing, though who could possibly find amazement in a Bidoof? The most pathetic pokemon - a Magikarp - could become one of the most dangerous monsters in existence, as tall as a building and capable of summoning devastating tidal waves.

Above all other pokemon, towering in strength and ferocity by comparison, are the dragons. To own a dragon, you have to be a very special kind of person; one who can command their respect and lead them to glory. In terms of raw power, dragons will almost always stand above other pokemon. To find a wild dragon usually spells death, unless you have a strong team, because they are fiercely territorial, powerful and aggressive.

If the Rangers, gym leaders, Elite Four, and the Champion did not exist, humans would have fallen to wild pokemon ages ago. The Pokemon League and the Ranger Corps are the only protection of human establishments, beyond the military. When it comes to protecting people against dragons, gym Leaders and the Elite Four have been the only ones trusted to take care of the threat. Knowing this, dragons hold a very special place in my heart as sources of wonder and respect.

I would consider myself a very lucky child, but life has its ironies. I grew up wealthier than most. As a result, I led a lavish lifestyle, but my friends were few and expectations from my parents were high. I found release for my adolescent frustration and vigor in sports. Of the few human-only sports leagues that began to form around a hundred years ago, I participated in baseball and wrestling. My father was proud of me for taking the initiative in finding human sports to engage in, but he was oblivious to my intentions. He was happy that I "took my mind off trainer nonsense" and played games where I was not at risk of getting ripped apart.

The truth is that I detested baseball. I refused to play any position other than pitcher and honed my skills to preserve that position. It was possible for me to become an excellent pitcher by practicing my throws almost as often as I researched pokemon.

I started playing baseball when I turned seven years old, so by the time I was able to become a trainer, my throws would be fast and accurate. It was my own special method of preparing to make my dream a reality. Because of me, my team, the Viridian Beedrills, won four consecutive regional titles and placed 3rd at the Kanto finals when I was 14 years old. I can still remember the finals match when my team was playing for 3rd….

It was a blazing hot day in Pewter City. My team had received the generous gift from the Kanto Baseball League of teleportation travel, which allowed us to arrive quickly and safely. The Pewter City Golems were a tough team that matched our score throughout most of the game. During the last inning, we were ahead by one point when the Golems were at the plate. I only had to end that inning without them scoring and we would win.

I brought the heat. One player hit a ball to center-right outfield and it was caught. I struck out the second batter; at the time I was at the top of my game, throwing 78mph consistently. The third batter hit the ball and ran to 1st base. The fourth and final batter hit the ball right back at me. I won the game by twisting and catching the ball, bruising my hand under the glove. Despite the fact that I wasn't playing baseball for the glory of the game, I allowed myself to revel in our accomplishment. Even in the face of all the attention and praise I was given, I never lost sight of what I wanted or my reason for playing baseball.

Unlike baseball, I enjoyed wrestling. Like a pokemon trainer, a wrestler's struggle was one of solitude, and I relished the one-on-one challenge. I also learned that I could relate to pokemon in battles when I was competing against my opponents. Furthermore, it kept me in great shape and instilled in me a sense of discipline and sacrifice.

Despite enjoying wrestling more than baseball, I was not as talented at wrestling as I was at baseball. I managed to take second or third place occasionally at different tournaments, but first place had always eluded me. I was fine with it, though; I didn't practice wrestling as often as my pitching for baseball, so it wasn't surprising that I wasn't the best among those who actually trained outside of the regulated practices. The end result was a lack of achievement worth mentioning.

My life progressed with me learning as much information about pokemon that I could and becoming adept at pitching, until it all changed. It was during the year of my 16th birthday, and all of the people in my class who wanted to become trainers had started their journeys the previous year. I was so jealous of their new pokemon, though they all had trouble controlling them. Seeing them all leave to pursue their passions while not having the same opportunity resulted in me falling into a depression by the time another wave of students were about to become trainers. Around that time of the year, my Uncle Ray paid us a visit.

My uncle had been one of the few people I respected, since he encouraged me to follow my dreams. He had given me a Great Ball on my birthday the year before with the words, "One day you will be a great pokemon trainer. You will catch your first pokemon with this ball and you two will become the best of friends. You know how to throw, so don't hesitate when the time comes. And for Gods' sake, don't tell your parents! They will have a Rapidash set me on fire."

The Great Ball now hung around my neck on a small chain. Poketech had advanced so much in the past hundred years, allowing for greater convenience and efficiency for pokemon trainers. Empty Pokeballs were capable of shrinking to the size of marbles, allowing for the easy transport of many in a small pouch. An occupied Pokeball, however, would only shrink to the size of a golf ball.

My uncle's arrival marked the beginning of his business venture. He told us his goal was to become a pokemon breeder. He wasn't the most intelligent person in the world, but he was very perceptive. He had amassed considerable wealth by betting on horse races over the years, and he bought a substantial amount of land to the northeast of Viridian City, about 5 miles north of my family's home. He used most of the money to buy the most advanced technology in pokebreeding.

He had encircled his land with the new state-of-the-art PokeWall. This technology allowed someone to link a pokeball to a larger area and keep the ball's pokemon trapped in the confines of the wall, instead of the pokeball. By inserting up to fifty pokeballs into the fence's control panel, the enclosed pokemon would be released inside the fence. The enclosure allowed the pokemon to move around inside, but they were incapable of passing beyond or damaging the fences. Furthermore, people could walk into the enclosure while the pokemon were released. After building the PokeWall, Uncle Ray planned to establish a breeding business for battler pokemon.

My uncle came to my father to ask for some financial help with a special project he was working on that would make him immensely famous and my father was all too willing to invest; family is family. However, 3 weeks later I returned home from baseball practice to hear yelling coming from the parlor. Minutes later my uncle hurried out of the house and my father furiously climbed the stairs and proceeded to meet with my mother, Francine MacAfee, to vent his anger.

I overheard my father tell my mother in a rage that his brother had used the money my father gave him to purchase 27th League Champion Lorelei's championship Garchomp! Lorelei had recently passed away and the fates of her pokemon were to be decided by her husband. Apparently Uncle Ray had used my father's excellent reputation as a pokemon breeder to feign expertise and convinced Lorelei's husband to sell the Garchomp.

Although my uncle loved pokemon almost as much as I do, I believed that he was grossly overestimating his expertise. My father shared the sentiment and ranted to my mother, "He is going to lose the Garchomp or get himself killed! And I paid for it! He doesn't understand what he's getting in to!" Though it was a horrible time for my father and his brother, the prospect of one of my family members owning such a powerful dragon only filled me with excitement.

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One week later, the championship Garchomp named Kira was delivered in her pokeball, and my uncle was finally able to start his business. His plan was to introduce Kira to the environment and let her grow accustomed to it for a few months before breeding her with a male Dragonair. The purpose of this tactic was to hopefully establish a congenial relationship with Kira to aid in her change of ownership.

As expected, Kira reacted negatively to the enclosure upon her release. Building on the recent loss of her trainer, she was also now trapped in a large, intricate cage. My uncle believed that he wouldn't have to control her entirely since he had the PokeWall, which indeed made it easier. He supposed he could give her a large habitat in which to dwell and avoid trying to take the place of Lorelei. He also expected Kira to enjoy her retirement with male dragons to produce offspring with. Uncle Ray knew the championship Garchomp's offspring would be exceptional specimens of her species because of how powerful Kira was, and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to breed them. Much to my enjoyment, Uncle Ray gave me the opportunity to watch Kira's initial release into the PokeWall.

Kira was enormous; putting my imagination of her to shame. Unlike normal Garchomp, which grew to be around nine feet tall, Kira towered over everyone in the vicinity, easily four times taller than the tallest breeding trainer. Her head alone was as big as me, and her body rippled with muscles. Her dorsal fin had several scars running down its length and her tail was held out strongly behind her. She had large black and yellow eyes and her left claw was missing; a reminder of the epic battle with the previous Champion's Empoleon. When Kira was released, she let out a roar which shook the ground under our feet and tore up the earth at hers, and then she burrowed immediately. It was a very anti-climactic first meeting, to say the least.

Throughout the next few weeks, I would visit just for the chance to catch a rare glimpse of the majestic creature. Kira was absolutely beautiful; a perfect mix of power, terror, and beauty. She was a living irony at that point, though; a paradox. Kira was a trapped god, and she knew it. Her aggressive demeanor rendered the trainers incapable of approaching her and her longest interactions with the world above the soil came when she was being fed. She always knew when she was about to be fed, and would emerge from the ground just as the trainers were bringing in her meals. Through my readings, I had found that Garchomp could sense seismic vibrations deep underground and dig at a speed that rivaled Diglett, which explained how Kira could sense the feeders approaching.

From outside of the PokeWall, my uncle would talk to Kira and try to show her that he meant her no harm. It was foolish. As if that legendary mover of mountains considered him a threat. As if she even considered him a flea worth swatting. Kira was sad and pissed off. The only time she seemed to enjoy herself was during feeding time; those poor Mareep… She slaughtered them and tore them to shreds with ease. It was fascinating. My morbid curiosity, respect and, dare I say it, enjoyment, kept me watching as Kira mercilessly slaughtered and devoured the sparking and bleating Mareep. For some reason, I was filled with exhilaration upon seeing Kira pick up the Mareep with one hand and bite them fully in half, chewing their heads, front legs, and upper bodies. The top of the food chain landed at her feet.

In a small way, I felt like I could relate to her. Like Kira, I was caged, though in a different way; it was a cage of expectations and limitations set by my parents. Like her, I had a dark and violent side, though repressed on my part. It wasn't as though I took pleasure in the pain and suffering of others; I took pleasure in the realized potential of a predator. An alpha predator was never to be underestimated or disrespected and I wanted to harness that power! I wanted to develop and nurture that power in a pokemon so that it was as much my power as it was the pokemon's.

It has been said that trainers share a symbiotic relationship with their pokemon, though a human's potential is much more difficult to realize. Only exceptional pokemon trainers who have trained a strong team have been known to realize their potential. Senses becoming more acute and enhanced mental and physical faculties are among the most common occurrences. However, some would say that there is a deeper, more profound change in a person who trains an exceptionally powerful team. History is full of mysterious people who lay the foundation for these kinds of rumors. Agatha of the Elite Four, who lived almost 300 years ago and had a ghost-heavy team, was said to have been able to disappear in the dark or walk through walls, much like a ghost. Another example was the 1st Elite Four member under the 26th Champion of Kanto, Theodore Blackfin. His team specialized in water-type pokemon and it has been said that he could swim as fast as a Sharpedo, hold his breath for an hour, and that his fingers and toes were slightly webbed.

The synergetic relationship between pokemon and trainer intrigued me. I wanted to rise above the frightened creatures that called themselves human, who hid from pokemon out of fear, and to tame the wild. I wanted to build a team worthy of fear and demanding of respect. I wanted to drive a team upwards until they were the best, and then raise myself to their level. Simply being near to Kira bolstered my resolve to chase my dream someday.

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Three months from then, Kira began to undergo a change. Instead of butchering her meals above the ground, she started dragging them underground while they struggled to escape. She started losing weight, too, ironically. After about a month of that behavior she was returned to her ball, removed from the PokeWall console, and taken to a PokeCenter out of concern for her well-being.

PokeCenters had come a long way in terms of technology and hospitality. They now had a separate area for trainers to sleep, they had a massive underground chamber in which trainers could release their pokemon, they usually had a free fitness center, and they had a cafeteria. However, the most amazing technological advancement was the medicine.

PokeCenters use a very high-tech machine that can heal virtually any injury short of decapitation, though the pokemon will generally be left with scars. The medical staff takes your pokeball and inserts it into a large red and white machine. It then hums for a length of time dependent on how injured your pokemon are before revealing on a screen every malady and injury the pokemon has suffered. It also emails that information to the trainer's PokeDex. If I were an engineer, I would explain the technology, but alas, I am a trainer with no expertise in medical engineering.

The generically named Nurse Joys all went by the same name for the sake of tradition. They were all required to have degrees in Pokemon biology, and had to have a minor in PokeMed engineering. Nurse Joy positions had their own college career path that paid well after graduation, which made the profession very desirable and competitive. Though historically the Nurse Joy position has been limited to the female gender, as a result of civil equality movements, men are now allowed to apply. However, they are not referred to as "Nurse Joy"; they are "Nurse Perry."

The Nurse Joy helping my Uncle Jay found nothing physically wrong with Kira and sent my uncle away after a few hours, during which the entire staff of hired breeders searched Kira's underground tunnels for anything unusual. When my uncle returned, the breeders were all panicked because one of them had become lost in the apparent labyrinth Kira had made underground. It took three hours for the lost trainer to emerge, accompanied by another trainer with a Sandslash. My uncle and his staff then realized it was a lost cause to try and search the entirety of the tunnel system. After that, they started feeding Kira more, doubling her diet.

Curious about the tunnels, I talked to the trainer who had gotten lost and asked him how it was. He replied with, "I felt like I was in a nightmare. At one point I heard eerie sounds and the sound of rocks being thrown, but when I investigated, I found no source for the noise. At that point, I thought a Haunter had found me and was playing tricks on me. I never want to go through that again."

Interested, I asked if he remembered where he went and he said, "I can't really remember, to be honest. I tried drawing a map so that I wouldn't get lost and we see how that worked out." I asked him for the map and he handed it over saying, "But don't you even think about going down there. You would have to pass into the reserve and Kira probably wouldn't take kindly to anyone invading her territory. Not to mention her own burrow!" At the time, I didn't know what I wanted to do with the map, but I wanted it anyway. I took it and hid it amidst my possessions in my room.

Kira started gaining more weight after her new diet was instituted, returning back to her healthy state. My uncle had even made enough progress with Kira that she would let him into the enclosure without attacking him outright.

After another month, my uncle decided it was time to proceed with the next stage of his plan. He was several months behind schedule but he felt excited all the same. He booked a flight for Johto and took Kira with him to Blackthorn City. There, a man was breeding his Dragonite and had raised four Dratini into Dragonair, three of which were male and one of which was female. My uncle brought Kira with him to see which Dragonair would be the best match for her, not to return for approximately a week.

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One week later, Uncle Jay returned. When I opened the door to greet him, I was met with a disheveled and depressed looking man that vaguely resembled my Jay. By that time, my father and Jay had come to terms with his decision to take on Kira and breed her, and were back on friendly terms. From what I could gather from listening behind a door to their conversation, Kira had gone crazy when he released her, killing a Dragonair and almost killing the breeder before my uncle could return Kira to her pokeball. Kira had knocked everyone over with a violent earthquake and had already torn the Dragonair apart by the time my uncle could get ahold of her ball. She was advancing towards the breeder quickly before my uncle saved him.

My uncle had to pay for the Dragonair that had been killed and did not have enough money to make an offer for another, not that the trainer had enough faith in Kira to agree to a deal after that, anyway. Furthermore, the breeder wanted nothing to do with my uncle after that incident. Jay and my father then discussed what kind of cheaper pokemon he could breed to save up for a different dragon far in the future. At that point I stopped listening and went to bed.

That night was hard to remember in full. I remember waking up with my mom shaking my shoulders violently. I could smell smoke and burning wood, and I could hear yelling outside. My mother was crying as she urged me out of bed and hurried me out of my room. She took me quickly through the house to the back door where our car was waiting to take us to Viridian City.

When I asked my mother what was going on, she turned to me and told me that my uncle Jay was dead; that when he had released Kira at the reserve, she continued her rampage and completely tore through the fence, a feat considered impossible. When she broke through the PokeWall, her pokeball had likewise been destroyed. Kira had essentially freed herself and continued her rampage, heading towards our house.

My mother told me that Kira had demolished my father's Rapidash ranch, which lay in her path toward our house, and that she didn't know if any of my father's stallions were still alive. A Garchomp of Kira's strength could easily bring down the house using its seismic powers, so my mother had decided to flee towards the city. She told me that my father had headed in a wide arch around Kira's path of travel to try and rescue any of his stallions, which was why he was not present.

That night we drove to the city, not looking back. We called the police while we drove to inform them of the situation. When we reached the police station, an alarm was booming, and the Viridian City gym leader, Pierce Williamson, was waiting for us. He then contacted the current Champion, Bruce Volker, and informed him that Lorelei's Garchomp was rampaging. At that point, my mother took me into the city to find a safe place to hide.

From what I remember about that night, there was great loss and immense sorrow. Pierce went to intercept Kira while he waited for the League to arrive, taking his own league pokemon team with him. Kira managed to kill Pierce's Rhydon and Steelix before Bruce showed up with both the 3rd and 4th members of the Elite Four. Kira had rushed the Rhydon, and then burrowed through its body when she pinned it against the ground. It had then taken the fight above and below ground with the Steelix, eventually killing it with a hyper beam to its face.

Kain McGall, the psychic-based elite, and Shirley Manson, the fire-based elite, were the 3rd and 4th elites, respectively. When they arrived, they took her down after a bloody fight in which Bruce's Flygon almost died in a flurry of dragon claws and tail thrashing, and Shirley's Infernape lost a hand to a nasty bite. Bruce's Kingdra finally stopped Kira with a beam of ice that pierced Kira's thick hide and froze her heart.

The following morning was full of sorrow for the city, but for my family, it was so much worse. My uncle was dead. My father's business was destroyed; he managed to save Blazerunner, his 3rd most prestigious stallion, but all the others perished. Our house had miraculously escaped the rampage, but we would not be able to afford our lifestyle for long after that, unless my father found a way to rekindle his fire ranch.

My parents were immensely stressed and depressed. They sold my uncle's land back to Viridian City soon after to gain some income and the days were filled with my parents fighting about our future prospects. Eventually, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I looked for any way to escape. I grabbed the faulty map and snuck out to my uncle's abandoned reserve. The wall was demolished on one side, and the large sign that said "Jay's Breeding Grounds" was lying on the ground where the fence was bent outwards.

It was around two o'clock in the afternoon when I took a strong flashlight, a few water bottles, a few sandwiches, and some chips in my backpack, and headed down into the tunnels with my flashlight lighting the way. I followed the poorly scribbled map before I came to the point where I believed he made a mistake. He had drawn three branches in the road when in reality it had 4 diverging routes. I made the changes on the map and made my best guess as to which tunnel he had gone down.

As I walked on at a leisurely pace, noticing the time an hour later, I started hearing something I couldn't place. My first thought was of a malignant Haunter messing with my mind. But then, as I went further, I was running my hand along the left side of the tunnel when it hit a patch of unusually damp soil.

Intrigued, I started brushing it away to reveal a covered entrance. The sound intensified. It was a loud growling with an occasional screech. I slowly descended on the sharp earthy incline, and after a few moments, the tunnel opened up. I shined my flashlight over the small cavern walls, and the light eventually fell upon a creature in a soft earthy mound.

My jaw dropped and my heart sank. It was a Gible! Three times the size of a normal one! It was either about to evolve, or it was just a freak of nature. It was easily five feet tall; a little shorter than myself. My heart sank because at the moment the light from my flashlight shined upon him, his eyes met mine and he let out a shriek. I turned and ran for my life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Author's note:

Hey everyone, we have officially started. Not much to say other than I've changed some things around as far as traditional lore. Also, technology in this time period is going to be a lot more subtle than flying cars and whatnot. There are planes and cars but when you can get a psychic pokemon to just teleport you somewhere, that technology become less important. Much of the advanced tech revolves around pokemon. With that said and without further ado, on with the chapter.

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My heart was pounding hard. I could feel my heart pounding in my throat and nothing else apart from the most intense and blinding fear I have ever felt. The walls were a blur, and I couldn't hear my feet hitting the ground. All I was thinking was "run. Run. RUN. I'm going to die." My flight out of the room was characterized by erratic scrambling up the inclined dirt and then wild running with occasional glances back. I was able to get up the incline and turn to the right before the Gible ran up the incline and into the wall behind me. I kept running, oblivious to my lungs screaming at me.

Two miracles happened down in those tunnels; I would probably be dead had they not occurred. The first is that I somehow managed to remember my way back to the entrance. I remembered which tunnel to take at each intersection while sprinting through. The darkness mixed with the monotonous walls lacking detail and erratic light from my flashlight shaking over the passages in front of me would have surely rendered me lost but against the odds, I managed to remember my way.

The second miracle, and also the most important, was a classic example of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was a miracle for me, but not for the poor little Diglett who happened to be showing his phallic head in the middle of the tunnel floor. Because of my frightened state, the instability of my flashlight, and the fact that the Diglett blended in perfectly with the brown tunnel, I did not see it. I tripped over it, kicking it in the head in the process. In my terrified delirium, I didn't even realize it was a separate pokemon. I thought the Gible had tripped me and was about to devour me. So I did what any animal in distress would do in that situation; I started kicking. After a few seconds and about 15 kicks to the face I looked over what I was kicking and saw a bloody mess on the tunnel floor. At that point my adrenaline slowed down enough for my sense of hearing to return and I heard the Gible screeching down the tunnel. It was still hot on my trail and getting closer fast. I stood up and saw the Gible emerge from the darkness with the light of my flashlight. I started backing up to turn around and noticed its attention divert. The Gible's screeching stopped and I saw it dive at the deceased mole pokemon. I wasted no time continuing my terrified sprint out of the tunnels.

When I eventually emerged, I kept sprinting to the nearest tree and climbed it, knowing that his seismic detection abilities could not detect me up in the tree. There I waited. It was around 3:30 in the afternoon and I waited until well after nightfall. The Gible never emerged, though I knew that it knew where I had gone. During that time, aside from feeling scared, I reviewed my knowledge of Gibles and the new information I had just gathered.

That Gible was enormous. For obvious reasons, I knew it had to be Kira's offspring. But the Gible was not delivered to my uncle in a pokeball. This would have to mean that she had given birth to it while on the reservation. Thinking about recent history, Kira started losing weight about two months prior which would mean that she started feeding it instead of herself. It might also explain why Kira went on a rampage when they took her away from her baby. Gibles were very clumsy, and moreso when they were babies, which probably explains why it didn't catch me earlier. The part that I couldn't explain was why it didn't chase me out. After I accidentally killed the Diglett and it stopped to eat, I don't remember hearing it chase me. I chalked it up to my detached psyche during my run. The Gible could have eaten that Diglett quickly and resumed the chase but it didn't, and that confused me.

I inwardly commended myself for the foresight of packing food because I was in that tree for several hours. By the time I had the courage to climb down I had formulated a plan. I held my Greatball around my neck as I ran home. This was my chance. That Gible was going to be my first pokemon. The Gible's mother had just died and it was no more than 2 ½ months old. Call it stupidity. Call it foolish. Call it whatever you want. I was going to do whatever it took to catch it.

I knew it wouldn't be as simple as throwing a ball at it. Catching pokemon was a difficult endeavor, especially for more powerful ones. You had to throw a ball and it had to hit the pokemon for the ball to work. Furthermore, the pokemon could break out during the first few seconds of it being captured so they needed to be weakened. I knew I could throw well so that wasn't the problem. The problem was that the pokemon I was trying to catch was Kira's offspring! On top of it being a dragon, it was also birthed by a championship trained pokemon. It was a pokemon that I could respect as my starter. It was one whose power I could be proud of training it to possess.

As far as I knew, the dragon would not hesitate to kill me for food or simply for sport. I would make sure it survived so at the very least it would have a reason to let me near it. After that, I had the beginnings of a plan to finish the job. The first thing I had to do was to get a job. I had been working with my father's ranch, so that I could potentially take over when he retired, but that was not an option anymore. I was not going to be picky about it, because it was essential for my plan to succeed. I couldn't find one that night, so I returned home.

As it was to be expected, my parents should have worried about me. However, instead I received no chastisement or punitive action. My parents did not even realize I was gone for most of the day. My father had left for town to continue his search for a rebound business venture and to arrange his brother's funeral. My mother had drunken herself asleep in her bed. I felt alone that night and it was not comforting. I went to bed and held back tears; tears for my imploding family relationship, tears for my father's misfortune, and, most of all, tears for my uncle. They would not help anybody, myself included. This is what life had dealt me. I was going to take from it what I could.

I was awoken by another argument downstairs in the morning. I quickly dressed amidst the accusations of giving up and abusing the bottle. I knew our life had become much more difficult and I knew there were no easy ways to deal with it, but I could not stay and listen to them argue. I walked out of my room, down the stairs to the foyer and caught a glance at my mother sitting on a chair holding her head while my father stood chastising her. I left quickly and made my way to town. The road and grass had a layer of frost covering them and it was fairly chilly outside so I brought my jacket with me. I walked the two miles to town in silence, gathering my thoughts. The first place I visited was the butcher and I asked for a job. "Sorry son, we're not hiring." Well so much for that. It would have been the easiest to make work, but fate is crueler than that.

I walked to several different stores but no one seemed to be hiring. It was then that I had an idea. I walked to the houses of several of the kids who played baseball with me. My idea was to offer my services as an off-season coach/trainer for prospective pitchers. The first place I went to was the alternate pitcher who never got the chance to play because I never stopped. He thought it was a good idea but he and his parents did not want to pay me. I then went to the alternate of the Junior Varsity freshman team. I struck gold there. The kid, Joseph McConnel, had the desire to play ball on a higher level and his parents had a bit of money. Joseph loved the idea and he persuaded his parents to pay me for my services. I asked a modest salary with a couple Pokebucks over minimum wage. I was even able to tack on a bonus if Joseph made varsity by the time baseball started in six months, in April.

We started that day with a basic overview of the training regimen I would put him through and the exercises he would have to do alone when I left. I had a job that was paying fairly well; 22 Pokebucks per hour. With practice twice per day during the week at 2 hour sessions each and one practice per day on the weekends, I was making over 500 Pokebucks a week. I assumed this would be enough. I also had about 1100 Pokebucks in my personal account so that would be a good start.

After practice I headed back over to the butcher and actually looked at the prices of meat. I was astounded. I had underestimated the price of meat. For half of a Mareep, I would be paying around 100Pb. I had initially planned on paying for meat for the Gible but after seeing those prices, I decided I would have to supplement the meals another way.

I had another idea and went to the pokemon trainer wilderness store and bought a composite bow. Firearms were illegal and only the military was allowed to use them. The bows themselves hadn't changed a lot in the past few hundred years, save for a few add-ons you could buy. It was the ammo and carrying capabilities that had advanced. The carrying case for the bow had a pouch for a box of ammo. The ammo looked like shotgun shells except when you gave them a small squeeze on the sides, they elongated to a little over 2'. They were made from a type of carbon metal allow that was light and very tough. The arrowheads were the same material with a hollowed tip for poisons. The bow with 20 arrow shells came to 500Pb. It was a deep cut but I could replace the money with a week's wages. I also bought a nice knife for 50Pb.

I went back to the butcher again and bought an entire live Mareep for 200Pb and started heading back to my uncle's reserve. The Mareep was unruly most of the 7 miles back to the reserve. I was excited and giddy once I arrived because I would finally be starting my plan. I was also a bit frightened. I went through every scenario I could think of in my mind and started down into the burrow.

Snag. I did not anticipate that the Mareep, an electric type pokemon would refuse to go down into a burrow made by a ground pokemon. I mentally face-palmed and tried to pull it down into the burrow with me. That only resulted in me receiving a small shock when the Mareep got pissed. I had the radical idea of buying a pokeball to catch it with and then release it down in the tunnel but then dismissed it as a dumb idea since pokeballs were 100Pb and not reusable.

I sighed, knowing what I would have to do. I brandished my knife behind my back so as to not spook the Mareep and stood beside it. With as fast a motion as I could, I sliced its throat. I tried to jump back immediately but the Mareep sent an arc of thunder at me that knocked me out.

I awoke a little later to find the carcass of the Mareep some feet away, with blood trailing it. It was as if it had moved around before it finally succumbed to blood loss. My head hurt and my limbs were numb as I stood up and walked over to it. I felt slightly horrified at what I had done, but I knew it probably would have had a more traumatic death if I let the Gible tear it apart. I also had to learn to deal with pokemon in a similar fashion considering the wilderness would definitely have its fair share of dangerous monsters that would try and kill me, and I would have to defend myself. I put my feelings of guilt at the back of my mind and tried to pull the Mareep down the slope.

I was happy that I did not buy a Miltank, as it would have been impossible for me. The Mareep was about 95lbs so it was fairly difficult, but not impossible for me to drag it. I dragged the body down the tunnels to the spot where the Diglett had tripped me. By that time, my muscles ached and I had developed a hatred for Mareep. I thought for a moment and decided to create a call that I would issue every time I was down there to let the Gible know it was me. Then I decided against it. Instead, I took my knife out and hit the wall three times with the hilt, then I stomped hard upon the ground three times, and then I let out a long whistle. I listened, took a few steps back, and waited.

Time passed, so I repeated the rhythm. This time I heard a screech down the tunnel. I turned and ran out. I didn't want to take the chance that he simply lost interest in me last time and would kill me if he saw me again. When I got outside I checked my watch. It said it was 4:00. I didn't want to go back to the house so I set up some logs to act as targets and started practicing archery.

The first day was worrisome. Archery was much harder than I thought it would be. I left after about two solid hours of practice. My arms hurt, my drawing fingers were blistered, and my other hand had a couple burns from arrows sliding along the top from bad shots. I headed home, still hopeful for my future. I put some medicine on the burn and then I wrapped my fingers with athletic tape. That would have to do. When I arrived home, my father was gone and my mother was waiting for me. "Where have you been?"

I replied with, "Getting away from here."

"Where have you been going?" she asked in return.

"I got a job. I'm teaching Joseph to pitch for some money. That way you and father don't have to worry about me." I made sure that I didn't sound pathetic. I did not want pity.

"You shouldn't have to do that. We will be alright. You should know that your uncle's funeral is in two days at 2:00" She gave a half-hearted smile.

"You don't have to lie to me. I've heard the shouting. Making it easier on you two was not the only reason why I got that job," I said with a critical look.

She then said with a sigh, "Please don't do anything rash. This is not easy for your father and I. We're trying to make things better."

This angered me so much that I blurted out, "By drinking yourself under the table!? The only person you're helping is yourself."

"Stop this! You have no right to criticize me! We've given you a good life, so show some respect. Now go to your room; I don't want to see you anymore tonight!"

With a glare, I walked to my room. Maybe I had been too hard on her, but all I felt towards her was anger. I had no problem with drinking, but she was escaping her problems and leaving those she cared about to deal with them, alone. It was weak and I resented her for it.

When I shut the door to my room, I hid my gear in my closet, in my baseball duffel bag. Hopefully any prying eyes wouldn't find it there. I waited in my room for an hour before sneaking downstairs. My mother was drinking in the parlor again. With a glare, I passed it by and headed to the cellar. Salvaged equipment from the ranch was kept down there. I looked around and couldn't find the one thing I needed: the Ponyta tranquilizer and tranquilizer gun. That complicated things.

There were three possible scenarios at this point: They had salvages some tranquilizers and sold them, they hadn't found any tranquilizers, or they were destroyed. I knew they were one of the first things that would get sold so I hoped it wasn't the first possibility. I returned to my room, put on some warm clothes, grabbed my knife and baseball bat, grabbed a flashlight and my backpack, and then left through my window.

Maybe traveling at night to visit the destroyed remains of the ranch was not a good idea, but I had two things lingering in my mind: During the day, I might get caught, and I didn't want to wait. The second reason was petty, but I didn't necessarily care. I set out on the cold road to the ranch with only a feeling of purpose on my mind, instead of caution.

I rejoiced inwardly when I reached the ranch after the five miles; it was a little spooky outside alone. The ranch was in ruins. There were burnt sections where the stallions had been kept. The ground was upturned in many areas where Kira had released her powerful earthquakes. The night was silent here, save for the eerie occasional caw of a Murkrow.

I felt an incredible sense of grief there. I had known every steed we had. Their bodies had been moved and buried out in the pasture. I needed to do what I came there to do fast; that place was not a place where I wanted to be. I hurried to the storage shed, which also lay in ruins. After a quick look around, I gave up there. Of course it was going to be the first place they looked to salvage equipment.

Walking around the ranch was creepy. It was cold but I still had a chill run down my spine. The ruined buildings gave out creaks and the Murkrow cawed in the stillness of the night. There was one other place I could look for tranquilizers: in the emergency kits inside the stables. More chills ran down my spine. I moved closer to the stables, being careful not to trip on the debris. I then heard a whinny.

I was so surprised that I stopped and waited. I then heard it again, coming from the stables. I hurried forward. How could my father have missed another? This might make things a little better for us if I brought back a breeding partner for Blazerunner. My father could restart his business! I crawled under a low, fallen beam to get inside the stables. The first thing I did was look for the emergency kit.

With an inner explosion of praise to any gods out there who could hear it, I saw the red and blue emergency duffel pinned under some debris. I cut it open with my knife, hearing the whinnying behind me somewhere. It was a disappointing find inside the bag, but not a total loss. The tranquilizer gun had been pinned and broken by the debris, there were multiple broken tranquilizer darts, and some of the bag had been burned. There were, however, three tranquilizer darts left and some pokemon medicine.

I stashed what I could inside my bag and kept a tranquilizer ready, in case the Ponyta or Rapidash was spooked. I walked around the stable and heard that it was coming from the very back. After taking a few minutes to navigate the upturned terrain and fallen debris, I came upon a closed stable door that looked slightly burned. It was dark on the other side, though, which was confusing considering Ponyta and Rapidash are perpetual light sources with their ever burning fires along their bodies. This had to mean the stallion was dying! Why else would the light be gone?

I opened the door and came face to face with the largest pair of glowing green and white eyes I had ever seen. The chills racing down my spine intensified. Only one thought passed in my mind, "GASTLY." Below the five-foot diameter eyes materialized a long slit that opened up into a wide and malicious grin. Regardless what you know or think you know about pokemon, when you are surprised by one face to face, survival instincts take over and you cease to draw upon that information in lieu of physical reaction. For example, I knew that Gastly are not as big as that Gastly was, I knew that they could project their image to appear larger and scarier, to paralyze their prey with fear, and I knew that they enjoyed messing with the minds of their prey.

Its grin intensified, and opened wide, revealing sharpened teeth. Its pink tongue then lolled out dripping acid which sizzled and steamed when it hit the wooden floorboards. I backed up spasmodically and hit the back of the stables breaking through the compromised integrity of the burned walls and fell onto my back outside of the stables. The Gastly was above me in seconds, peering down upon me with its malevolent smile. It knew its prey had just made a fatal error and it was enjoying itself scaring its prey before it attacked.

Its tongue rolled out again and dripped acid onto my leg, burning through and scarring my thigh. Without thinking and in a fit of fear, I lashed out with the Ponyta tranquilizer and stuck it into the Gastly's tongue. It shrieked, an odd and creepy mixture between an old lady and young boy screaming. I crawled backwards as quickly as I could as it thrashed about and started towards me again. Right before it made it to me, though, its eyes drooped and it fell from the air into the ground. I leapt up and ran home as fast as I could without looking back.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

I practiced with the my bow and I trained Joseph the next two days, trying to get better with the bow and hoping that the full Mareep was enough to hold the Gible over until I was paid for two days of training. When you practice so much with anything, you become better faster, without realizing it. The changes are subtle and after a little while, you realize you've been getting better. Even after 3 days of practice. Hours and hours of practice eventually start paying off. I was getting more and more accurate with the bow. Soon, I would try to hunt. But until then, the Gible still needed to eat and before I could take care of that, I had a funeral to attend.

There was not a single dry eye at the funeral. My uncle may have acted without thinking occasionally, but he was sincere and friendly to all whom he met. For me, I had lost a friend and a source of inspiration and motivation. After the funeral rites were said, I laid some flowers on his casket and headed back home to change clothes. By the time I had changed clothing, my parents had returned and had both retreated into the parlor. I stole a quick glance and they both were sitting quietly with glasses of Scotch in their hands. I left and headed into town.

Two hours later, with 200Pb exchanged for a Mareep, I arrived at the reserve. I tied the Mareep to a tree and retreated about 100 feet. I could have used my knife again but I chose not to for two reasons: I did not want to get electrocuted again and I wanted to practice killing pokemon with my bow. It wasn't out of a sick desire to try new ways to kill; I needed to practice with my bow if I was going to rely on it in the wild. To do that, I needed to exercise my abilities when possible.

The first arrow hit the Mareep in its haunches, causing its back legs to slump. It immediately started bleating and let out an arc of electricity towards me, but my distance was too far for its thundershock to hit me. I notched another arrow, cursing that I didn't finish it in one shot. The second shot hit it squarely in the chest, taking it down. With a sigh of relief, I walked over and retrieved the two arrows, cleaning them off in the Mareep's wool. I then began the task of dragging it down into the burrow.

I arrived at the same spot as last time to find it empty and the ground a little torn up. I lay the Mareep down and tapped on the wall three times, stomped on the ground three times, and then whistled. I immediately heard a screech and then took off again. I would have to repeat this process multiple times, I knew before I would be slightly comfortable waiting around. Back to archery training.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Two weeks passed like this. Every third day I would buy a Mareep to bring back after the practice with Joseph. I would then spend all of my free time practicing my archery skills. It was monotonous and tedious, but I could tell my skills were improving. I could then consistently hit a Tauroseye within 50 feet and I had fairly good accuracy at 100 feet. Then one particularly cold day, when I had killed a Mareep and had dragged it down to the feeding spot, I was given a frightening surprise.

After laying the Mareep on the spot, I performed the tapping/whistle routine and instead of hearing a screech, the Gible emerged from the darkness not 20 feet in front of me. Frightened, I slowly back up about 5 feet, then another 5 feet. The Gible moved up to the carcass and just looked at me. I did not meet his eyes; that would have been a very unwise action. He stood there staring at me for what seemed like five minutes before tearing into the Mareep. I took that time to backpedal a ways before running out.

That event set the standard for the next few weeks. The Gible would always be waiting in the darkness where I could not see him, and would then appear as I called. I started hunting, now that my archery was skilled enough. I managed to supplement the Mareep with an occasional Pidgey. They were becoming scarcer as winter drew closer. One day I decided to try something new. It might have been a little sadistic, but I wanted the Gible to get a taste of killing for itself.

When I brought in a Mareep, I cut the tendons in its legs after removing the electrical bulb on its tail. I then dragged it down, bleating, until I got to the feeding spot. I called the Gible with the tapping and watched as he emerged. It was this moment that I decided on a name for it. I had figured out over the weeks that the Gible was male. I knew he was male for several reasons, according to the electronic books I had read. The dorsal fin on males were more narrow and sharp than females' and the bulbous horns on the sides of a males head were sharper and skinnier than females'. The real giveaway was the coloration on the Gible's stomach. A male would have a darker shade of red than a female and this Gible had a dark, blood red stomach.

The Gible had changed in the few weeks I had been feeding him. He had grown slightly larger and more muscular, though I was still taller than he. His scales had also darkened to more of a black like his mother, which was different from normal dragons of his species. When he emerged from the shadows, stalking the crying Mareep, he looked to me like the angel of death. That was only bolstered when he leapt forward, latching onto the Mareep's head and biting it off before tearing into the rest of the body. On my way out, the perfect name for him hung in my mind: Azrael.

It snowed two weeks later. Viridian City generally received 2-3 inches of snow per storm so the 2 inches that fell did not come as a surprise. During the next two weeks, I started staying with Azrael as he ate. I watched as he looked at me for several minutes each time after finishing and then just lumbered off clumsily down the tunnel. Progress.

Although there weren't many Pidgey around during the winter, I had found a much better target. Stantler had been everywhere but I didn't have the courage to attack one. After I saw one the first time, I researched them more in depth to gain a better understanding of them. Their psychic abilities would be problematic if I didn't kill them immediately so I would have to make the shot count. Their horns are valuable and the black orbs on them that channeled some of their psychic ability are valuable as well for tranquilizers when ground up.

The first time I hunted a Stantler was a good experience. I had followed footprints in the snow quietly until I came across a solitary Stantler grazing on some grass that hadn't been covered by the snow. I notched an arrow and shot. The arrow sailed through the air and hit it right underneath its heart but puncturing a lung. The Stantler went down but after a few minutes of sending psychic waves to my head which had me believing I was in a boiling volcano, burning to death. That kind of trauma to my head could have been fatal if endured for too long but it only lasted a few minutes. I awoke from my trance, lying in the snow, when the Stantler finally succumbed to death's embrace.

The Stantler was significantly heavier than the Mareep, but that meant there was more food for Azrael. It took a long time to drag it all the way down but once I did, I was rewarded with a squeal of delight from Azrael as it dug into the large deer. When it was done, instead of walking away, it walked up to me. I froze and let it approach. It stopped about 2 feet from my face. It then opened its mouth a little and bit me on the shoulder quickly and then ran off down the tunnel.

I was left standing with a bleeding shoulder and a perplexed look on my face. I later came to the conclusion that it was a friendly nip. More progress! I was able to hide it from my parents, considering they had been busy too often to take notice of the things I was doing. Although I understood that they had responsibilities to take care of, I resented them both for ignoring me after spending so much time making sure that I couldn't follow my dream of becoming a pokemon trainer. I was able to make a lot of extra money selling the antlers and the orbs from the Stantler. I almost matched a week's wages for each set of orbs and two week's wages for each set of antlers.

The most progress came in the middle of January, on a Saturday, when I arrived at the reserve to see footprints leading out of the burrow. Upon closer inspection, I found that they were much too small to be Azrael's footprints and they were headed into the burrow. They also seemed fresh. I hurried it down to the feeding spot with a Pidgey in my hand to find Azrael had not been waiting for me. I ran down the tunnel to where his little cave was and started hearing two different pitches of screeching. I dropped the Pidgey and drew my bow, taking out 4 arrow cartridges.

I looked down the earthy incline into the small cave with my flashlight to see Azrael cowering in a corner with a Sneasel dancing around it, lunging in and out with its claws at him. It was also leaving icy streaks where it sliced Azrael. I notched an arrow and let it fly. It hit the Sneasel square in the lower back and it turned around with a hiss and started hobbling over to me, bladed hands raised menacingly. I notched another arrow and it let loose. The arrow sailed over the Sneasel's head and embedded itself in the opposite wall. The fear of this little monster was affecting my shots. I quickly notched another arrow and took my time, what little I had left before it reached me and gutted me, before I released it. The arrow hit the Sneasel right in the chest and it fell backwards. I rushed forward and squeezed the last cartridge, making it expand into the arrow and stabbed it down into the creature without putting it in the bow. I then withdrew my knife and finished the job.

I looked up at Azrael, still in the corner, shaking. I took a step closer to him and he hissed, warning me not to come closer. I backed up to the entrance and grabbed the discarded Pidgey. I then returned and retrieved all the used arrows from the dead Sneasel before offering the Pidgey to Azrael. He limped over after a couple minutes and I set the Pidgey down on the floor. I moved around to the side of him and looked at the wound. There were three red lines running down his thigh with icy particles stuck inside them. I went back to the Sneasel and cut off its hands. I then looked at Azrael and said, "I will be back soon. Stay here, if you can understand me."

Why I thought it was reasonable thing to say, I don't know, but I wanted to communicate with him and let him know I was going to help. I ran out, with the two Sneasel hands. I ran all the way to Viridian City. I arrived at a PokeMart, which had kept its name out of tradition over the years, heaving and breathless. I bought two basic potions and an ice heal. It came down to about 400Pb so it took a chunk out of my savings, but it was worth it.

I then started running back. I'm not sure how long the entire trip took, but I don't know when I've ever run that fast before. I arrived at the reserve and ran down into the burrow. I ran all the way to Azrael's den and found him curled up, shivering. I made the call at the entrance of the den so that he would know I was there. I then walked over to him, took out the ice heal and sprayed it on his wound. If I hadn't created what little relationship I had with him, and if he had been a little stronger, he probably would have bitten my head off. However, in his state, he just screeched and growled at me.

The ice particles melted and his body temperature started rising because of the ice heal. I then sprayed the basic potion on his leg, quickening the healing. I'm not sure how the creators of these potions were able to do it, but I always wondered why they couldn't make those kinds of potions for use on humans. They were immensely helpful. At that point I noticed the Sneasel still lying on the floor. I went over to it and grabbed its legs, dragging it over to Azrael.

He perked up and chowed down on the corpse. I then made a choice. I went over to the other side of the den and sat down against the wall. I sat and waited. After an hour, Azrael must have realized I wasn't leaving because he stopped watching me and went over to the other side of the den, dug around until he created a nice bed for himself, and then lay down. During that time, I used my knife to clean off as much flesh from the claws that I could, leaving the bones and the claws. I eventually fell asleep, turning the flashlight off when I became tired.

It was another foolish decision for anyone looking at the situation. However, I had fallen in love with that dragon. I wanted to make sure he did not have any other problems. I still had one potion remaining on me so I was prepared if he needed it. I stayed with him because he was hurt. It may have foolish, but it was one of the most significant bonding moments I had with him.

I awoke some time later, still physically intact. I could actually hear Azrael snoring; interesting. I had no idea dragons could snore. I turned on my flashlight with it facing the ground. I stood up, gathered my things, and then went over to the den entrance. I tapped out the call, hearing Azrael stir, and then shined the flashlight on the ground in the den, so that it wouldn't blind him.

I said, "It's time for me to go. Don't worry; I'll be back with food later." I then started walking out. I heard movement behind me as I walked down the tunnel but didn't think much of it. It was only when I was near the entrance of the tunnel and I could still hear the movement behind me that I turned around. Azrael had followed me to the entrance and was eyeing me curiously. I continued walking up the slope so that I was now outside. It was dark out and I checked my watch. It was 3:00 in the morning. If my parents cared, they would probably be worried sick.

I didn't leave immediately though, since Azrael following me outside. He looked around, snarled at the snow and let out a small jet of blue fire, melting the snow around him. I watched him wander around for an hour sniffing things, biting trees, and melting snow before he waddled over to me. Then he bit me again on the same shoulder as he did last time, and ran down into the burrow. I smiled and walked home.

I climbed through my window and went to bed after cleaning off the remaining flesh and blood from the Sneasel claws. I could sell them or use them later. In the morning, I received no lecture or recourse for being gone most of the night. My parents were busy again. At this point, I didn't care as much. I would be on my own soon enough. I walked to town for practice with Joseph and when I finished, I went to the PokeMart. I was able to trade 3 of the 4 Sneasel claws for 3 pokeballs. I now had three extra pokeballs just in case for when the time came for me to push the next part of my plan forward.

Throughout the next couple weeks, Azrael would come outside when I was there while I practiced my archery and when I hunted. The winter passed fairly quickly this way. The snow stopped falling, the temperature started warming up, and Pidgey started appearing in greater numbers. My parents had sold our house for one a smaller house closer to the city and I had bought a bike. It wasn't too expensive these days for a nice mountain bike. The most significant part of the change in seasons was Azrael had started letting me touch him. I would run my hand along his fin, feeling the scales and ripples of his muscles. He had grown a little more but so had I, so I was still taller than him.

By the time February rolled around, I was ready to initiate the next part of my plan. It was not going to be easy and there was a chance that I might get myself killed. The risk was worth it. I packed my bag with the tranquilizers, a first aid kit, and food before I set out for the reserve. When I arrived, Azrael was standing outside of the burrow waiting for me. Our custom was hunting for a few hours when I arrived before practicing my shooting. I stopped my bike, dismounted, and leaned it against a tree.

I walked over to him after taking out a tranquilizer dart and the marble-sized pokeballs. I also unstrung the Greatball from my neck and pressed the button that made it grow to full size. I carried both the tranquilizer and the Greatball over to Azrael, who was watching me intently. I walked to a few feet in front of him and dropped the Greatball to the side. I then walked over to him and ran my hand along his fin. I then said, "Don't think too badly of me. We are partners, and will grow to overcome the world, but I'm the one giving the orders." As I said the last sentence, I plunged the tranquilizer into Azrael's arm.

I immediately jumped back and rolled to a crouch. Azrael screeched and turned on me with an angry look in his eyes. He took a step forward and faltered. I knew the tranquilizer wasn't strong enough to put him out but that was my plan. I needed to **show** him that I was in command. I needed to establish dominance. When he faltered I jumped around to the side of him and caught his arm. I used it to pull myself around him, like I had learned in wrestling. I then hooked my arm underneath his other and pulled them as hard as I could.

Azrael was stronger. He was also drowsy and weak from the Ponyta tranquilizer. He struggled to fling me off his back but I held on as he wore himself out. He thrashed for 5 minutes straight. It reached the point where I thought I would pass out from the strain of holding on before he did from tiring. He finally collapsed onto his knees. I used what strength I had remaining to pull his arms back behind him and pin his face to the ground. I then bit his shoulder hard for effect. I held him there while he struggled and struggled. I just needed him to use all of his energy. He tried burrowing but it was pointless without his arms. He finally stopped after a few minutes but I didn't let up. I wasn't going to take the chance that he was bluffing. It turns out that my precaution paid off, for after a minute, he renewed his fight vigorously. I matched his efforts and kept him down until I felt his muscles start to spasm. Sensing the sincerity of his weakened state, I quickly jumped off of him and rolled to my Greatball. I then hurled it as hard as I could at Azrael's center of mass. It hit him hard and he burst into white light, before disappearing inside the ball. I watched at a distance with another pokeball ready as the ball squirmed and wiggled. After ten long, nerve-wracking seconds, the ball stopped moving.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Author's Note: Ok so just to make this clear, I am busting these chapters out very quickly, but it's not going to be like that all the time. I will probably get one or two chapters out every week until my senior year of college starts. I'm also working on another story at the same time so sometimes, by some spark of inspiration, the other story will take priority for a few days until I want to write more for this one.

On another note, thank you Danmatt for your kind comments and welcome to the story.

On to chapter 3!

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I stood speechless for at least five minutes. The air was cool and blew my hair across my face as I stood there. When I finally concluded that I wasn't dreaming, I walked over to the blue pokeball lying in the grass. I picked up the ball, noting how warm it was, and admired it in my hand. A multitude of emotions flooded through my mind. I felt giddy, excited, and nervous. I had caught Azrael! The most difficult part of that stage in my plan was complete. I was one step closer to becoming a trainer and following my dream. This oddly gave me some anxiety; it was one thing to plan and dream, but when the reality was there, staring you in the face, the future started looking a little daunting. Although I was nervous about my future, my excitement and my happiness overrode the feelings of trepidation tenfold. There was much work to do now but I let my emotions pass before I acted. I had caught him and now I needed to train him. The training I considered easier because I had the Greatball.

Pokeballs have advanced a lot in the past few hundred years. They now hold a holographic control panel that can only be activated by the owner's fingerprint. The pokeballs scan the fingers of the last person holding the ball. The holographic control panel is activated by pressing a small indented button. The hologram shows what pokemon is inside the ball, the percentage of health they retain, if they have a status ailment, and what emotion they were feeling when they were recalled. They have a GPS installed that shows your pokemon's location up to a hundred meters. They also have a function where you can control where they appear when they are released. There are two settings with a directional starting point setting for both. The first setting releases the pokemon directly in front of you. The second setting allows a laser pointer to direct the release of the pokemon. To return the pokemon, all you have to do is press the button and if it is within 30 feet of the ball, it's returned. If the pokemon is farther away, you have to hit it with a laser dot.

The more difficult step of this stage was over, but the whole stage was not over. Azrael was not going to be happy. He was still going to be groggy and weak, which would work to my benefit. I stood on the overhang of the burrow and released Azrael down below me with the second setting. I had him appear facing me. As expected, he was pissed and clumsily tried to climb up the wall to attack me. I immediately returned him. He needed to stay put. I released him again at the same spot. Once again, he tried to climb the side of the tunnel wall to get to me. Once again I returned him. This repeated four more times before he got the picture and paused where he was, glaring at me.

I started talking, "We are now a team, but I'm calling the shots. If you behave, you will be rewarded. I will help you grow more powerful than you can believe! I will help you become stronger than even your mother. We will help each other grow stronger. However, if you are disobedient and misbehave, we will have problems." Azrael kept glaring but had settled back onto his haunches. I wondered if he could understand me.

I had begun talking to him as much as possible a few weeks prior, for I had heard interesting things on communication with pokemon. Most pokemon were capable of learning to understand the language of their masters in a very short time-span, alluding to their intelligence. Azrael had not shown much evidence of understanding me in the past few weeks but he seemed to be listening intently to me then.

I continued, "I don't plan on keeping you prisoner. I respect you too much to treat you like a domesticated Growlithe on a leash. But you _will_ learn to behave. I will allow you to stay here and continue as we were, without confining you to your pokeball, if you behave. If you insist on acting up, I will not hesitate to put you back in." I noticed that Azrael had replaced his glare with a look of curiosity. Hence, with that said, I moved around the top of the overhang. He watched me approach around the side, with his pokeball at the ready.

As soon as I was about ten feet away, I saw his muscles tense up as he prepared to lunge at me. I quickly recalled him and opened up the pokeball interface. I switched it to the first setting and directed the unruly Gible away from me when he appeared. I released him and immediately reached forward, jamming my knuckles into the spot between his torpedo-shaped bulb and his dorsal fin. I had read that those areas on this family of dragon were particularly sensitive spots. It was similar to a Sharpedo's spiracle.

He yelped, whined, and spun around to face me. I returned him quickly and then switched the setting to the second setting. I pointed the laser out about twenty feet and released him. He let out an angry screech and charged at me. Back in the ball, setting one, jab in the spiracle, returned, setting two, and then released twenty feet away. Rinse and repeat whenever he tried to attack me. It only took him three tries before he realized I wasn't going to let him win.

I was slowly showing him I was dominant, _making_ him respect me. When Azrael finally calmed down after the third try, I stood there staring him directly in the eyes. His gaze did not falter so we stood there, without blinking, challenging each other to see who would back down first. After what seemed like five minutes, his eyes blinked and fell, then he huffed and turned away.

So I was going to be ignored. I couldn't say I didn't see that coming. It was ok, though. Once he started getting hungry, he would pay attention. I had been taking him out hunting, but he did not know how to shoot an arrow. He hadn't been taught how to hunt, since he was still a baby, so he was fairly helpless. I was there for him, to feed him, when he _wanted_ help from me.

Eventually he would realize that not only could I provide for him, but I would also help him help himself. Until then, he would go hungry. At the moment, it was early in the day for us, but I decided to leave, keeping him out of his pokeball.

I was slightly afraid that he would take off, but I had the GPS to help me find him if he did. Plus, he did not know anywhere else besides his burrow. He wouldn't leave his home.

That night, I thought about what I had to do. It would take a long time before Azrael considered me worthy enough to follow. I then started thinking about building a team. Azrael was a handful and a half at the moment, so a new pokemon would have to wait.

I also thought of our communication "problem." He would learn to understand me but I had no way of understanding him. I then performed some research on the pokemon trainer store website for translation devices. The prices were painful to look at; 5000Pb each. The first pokemon translator came with a complimentary trainer device. The devices were small computer chips that were placed under the skin, behind the ear on both the pokemon and the trainer. Working with signals from the brain, the chip allowed your brain to interpret the intended communicated meaning of both pokemon to trainer and trainer to pokemon. Technology is awesome and incomprehensible to me! Maybe someday I would buy translators for my pokemon, but that would not be any time soon.

I rode back to the reserve after pitching practice with Joseph. With my help, he had become quite competent in the last few months. I hoped he was good enough to make varsity; he was throwing about 70 mph. I rode my bike and parked it one mile from the reserve. I then made my way down the path slowly and quietly. I was sure Azrael was going to try and surprise me somehow. On the GPS, it showed he had not left the vicinity so I kept my eyes open for him, scanning the trees.

When I had crept to about 1/6 of a mile from the reserve, I saw him. He was hiding beside the path, between a bush and a tree. Because of his size, I could see his fin sticking up behind the bush. I almost chuckled. I slowed my pace, taking as light and quiet steps as I could manage so that his seismic detection ability wouldn't detect me. His ability was just developing, so it was possible for me to get behind him and jab him in the spiracle. He screeched, turned around, and disappeared into his pokeball in a burst of white light.

I shook my head and walked back to my bike to ride it back to the reserve. When I arrived, I released Azrael twenty feet away and said, "Well it looks like someone is learning how to hunt. You won't beat me on this." Azrael simply snorted and turned his back on me. I continued, "I hope you get past this little petty defiant stage quickly; you are going to get pret-ty hungry. I'm not feeding you until you start behaving."

He looked back at me when I said that. If he understood me after such little time, he was most definitely intelligent. He then ran into the woods. I stared after him confusedly and then shrugged. I started constructing archery targets from logs sticks, staying aware of my environment with the Greatball at the ready.

After half an hour, a Pidgey burst into the clearing I was practicing in, squawking in fright. Azrael was hot on its tail feathers, snapping wildly and screeching at the bird pokemon. The Pidgey flew up and out of Azrael's reach, leaving him looking up at his escaped prey, growling. I let out a small chuckle at his pathetic attempt to show me up. It meant that he understood me.

I said to him, "Go ahead. Try if you want. You aren't getting any meals from me unless you start behaving and listening to me." Azrael promptly walked over to one of my targets and tore it down. "HEY! You wanna play that game, you little shit?" I shined the Greatball's laser onto him and returned him. I released him close by and jabbed him in the spiracle before returning him and releasing him farther away.

Azrael glared at me and made a small earthen bed on the far side of the clearing and lay down. I reassembled the target Azrael had destroyed and resumed practicing again, while talking to him. "I understand you want to be your own dragon, but you will come to see that, with my help, you can be so much greater than on your own. So let me tell you about how your mother became so great…" I noticed Azrael listening intently as I described his mother's exploits, including the battle in which her arm was frozen and shattered by the Empoleon while she mauled and cut it down with her other claw. I also described Champion Lorelei, who trained Kira from a Gible to become a legend. I explained how I wanted to do the same.

When I finished, I looked over at Azrael to see him looking back at me. As soon as he saw me look at him, though, he quickly looked away and acted as if he hadn't been. I smiled and continued shooting. When it was time for me to pack up and head back to Joseph's for the second practice of the day, I started putting all of my gear in my bag. As I was packing, I noticed that Azrael had disappeared. I looked around and was not able to see him.

I looked to where he had been laying down and saw a mound of upturned dirt. Shit. I walked as carefully and lightly as possible over to a tree with a low-hanging branch. I took three running steps to it when I was close enough and jumped, grabbing ahold of the branch with one hand while readying the Greatball in my other. A couple seconds later, Azrael burst from the ground beneath me with his mouth open wide, only to get returned to his ball, jabbed in the spiracle, returned again, and released far away.

He was thinking of different ways to kill me. Smart little brat. He growled at me and turned away. I said to him, "I told you what would happen if you continued this. You are spending a night, awake, in your pokeball." He hissed at me before disappearing into the ball. I went back to Joseph's for practice and then returned home.

Dinner with my parents was always an awkward affair after we moved. We could not afford a professional cook anymore, so my mother tended to prepare meals. They were usually eaten in silence and as quickly as possible. No one wanted to comment on our situation. The most that was said generally amounted to small talk about how well Joseph was getting or where my father was trying to get a job.

My father had kept Blazerunner, unable to bring himself to give him up. Our new house was smaller but was sitting on a bit of land so that Blazerunner had room to run. He only seemed happy when he was around that stallion. My mother saw it too, and she responded with the bottle. As if SHE was the one truly hurt by Kira's rampage. Selfish, petty woman.

The next day I went to practice, and then back to the reserve. I released Azrael a far distance away from me. He had spent about 19 hours in his pokeball, but due to the special nature of pokeballs, he only felt about 1/6 of that time. Pokeballs slowed time for the pokemon inside by putting them in a type of stasis, but they felt the passage of time all the same, whether they were asleep or not when they were returned to the ball.

It was considered humane and considerate for a trainer to wait until his pokemon were asleep before returning them for extended periods of time, because they would sleep through the passage of time. Older pokemon who were more used to time spent in pokeballs could will themselves asleep it they wanted to, but Azrael did not have a disciplined enough mind to do so. Keeping Azrael in the ball for so many hours was like making him sit in one spot doing nothing, and unable to fall asleep, for three hours. It was a boredom-based punishment; much like making a child sit in a corner.

Azrael was pissed when he was released from the ball, but he did not charge me. Progress. He did, however, ignore me the entire time, while I talked to him about everything and nothing.

I left that night without him trying to eat me. He must have been getting hungry, because I was not supplementing his diet anymore with Pidgey or Sentret. This was the fourth day he had gone without food; I had not fed him the day before I caught him. He was determined to find a way to exist on his own; determined to defy me.

The next day, I came back and watched my GPS. It had become fuzzy and showed Azrael somewhere in the area. He was either resting in the burrow, or waiting underground somewhere to ambush me. I decided to experiment to find out. I gathered some stones and heavy sticks and started walking carefully forward on the path. I then started throwing the sticks and the rocks in front of me, in a progressing line. After the fifth rock was thrown, jaws opened up from underneath the rock and clamped down, disappearing under the ground quickly after. Little shit.

I took two stones and threw one to the right and one to the left shortly after. I aimed my Greatball at the one on the left. If Azrael was intelligent as I suspected him of being, he would think I was throwing stones and moving away, throwing one first to get his attention. My suspicions paid off as his mouth appeared around the delayed rock on the left and then disappeared with a white flash of white light. Since I had predicted his movements, I was ready for him and had returned him as soon as his jaws emerged. He was developing more cunning methods of hunting me.

In a way it was good that he was learning on his own. Too bad he was learning on me! A jab to the spiracle and a scolding later, we stood glaring at each other, staring into each other's eyes. I returned Azrael after chastising him, saying, "You are going to spend a lot of time alone and bored if you keep this up! I have no problem with it. You bring this upon yourself!"

I practice archery alone that day, keeping Azrael in his ball. I kept him in his ball for 24 hours; four hours of boredom. Call me cruel but how else do you discipline a dragon? A beast that could easily tear you apart. It was effective.

When I let Azrael out the next day, his sixth day without food, he looked anxious and relieved. He ran around for a little bit, ignoring me until I could actually hear his stomach growling with hunger. He looked over to me and started screeching in a whiny manner. He was finally succumbing to his hunger and was throwing a fit. I looked him in the eye and said, "Do you remember what I said? I am not going to feed you if you act out."

Azrael's whiny screeching intensified. "If you behave, I'll get you some food." He quieted down and gave me the dragon equivalent to a pleading, Growlithe-puppy-eyed look. You actually look so cute, I thought. "If you can understand what I want from you, stomp three times." Azrael paused for a few seconds and started stomping. Each stomp created small fissures in the dirt. I smiled; this proved he could understand me.

I said, "If you want me to feed you, you need to promise me you will behave. If you kill me, you will starve. If you agree with me and promise to behave, perform the call." I left out the possibility of him learning to fend for himself in the scenario; wouldn't want him getting any wrong ideas. Azrael paused again before clicking his claws together three times, stomping little fissures into the ground three times, and then hissing. Progress.

I then walked up to Azrael, displaying not fear, but complete confidence instead. I had the Greatball out just in case, but I walked around him and pinched his spiracle gently, warranting a grumble from him. I then told him, "Good then. Now prove it to me. I want you to stay right here until I get back with your dinner. Don't move, because I will know." Of course there was no way to know if he moved short distances, but I wanted him to know I was watching him; much like a mother telling her son that she is always watching, always knowing what he is doing.

I arrived forty minutes later with a fat Mareep. The butcher had long since become suspicious and had inquired about my purchases of so many Mareep, to which I replied, "I am being paid by an old man and his family to bring Mareep from town to his house. They live to the east of Viridian Forest. They really like Mareep mutton, what can I say?" The butcher seemed to remain suspicious about me but chose not to pursue his interrogation.

I walked the Mareep back to the reserve and Azrael was still sitting in that one spot. I smiled as I tied the Mareep to a tree and walked over to Azrael who had stood up. I pinched him lightly, again, on the spiracle between his bulb and dorsal fin. He didn't like it but he didn't round on me. With another smile, I motioned to the Mareep with a sweep of my hand and said, "He's all yours."

Azrael sprinted clumsily to the frightened Mareep and leapt onto its back, ignoring the sparks of electricity that arced from its tail and over his scales. It was gruesome but fascinating and oddly satisfying. Azrael was a predator and predators preyed on the weak. I was not weak and he was starting to see that for himself. From the way that I mercilessly killed his food, to my apathy in letting him slaughter live prey, to my complete confidence and perceived lack of fear in establishing my dominance, he was beginning to see me as his leader. Because of that, we were going to make an excellent team.

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During the next few weeks, baseball season started drawing nearer. That meant that my job was about to end. I had made almost as much money from the seven Stantler I had hunted as I had working for Joseph. I had saved up quite a lot during the last five and a half months. So far, after subtracting the amount used for Mareep and equipment, I totaled a little over 13000Pb. That would be a nice start. I would have to find a different job during the summer since I did not feel nearly as good about my relationship with Azrael as I wanted to. Even though over the past few weeks, he had not attacked me and had generally been cordial with me, I did not trust him with me alone in the wilderness yet.

I started Azrael off with agility training to try and counter his clumsy nature. He knew what I wanted him to do, considering I explained it to him fairly simply, but he chose to ignore me most of the time. I would plant sticks in the ground fifty feet apart and tell him to stand on one side of the stick while I stood ten feet to his side, on the other side of the stick. I would then tell him to race me to the other stick and back. At first he completely ignored me but seeing me suffer through the training gave him a little respect for me. It also helped motivate him when I jabbed his spiracle.

I had Azrael running nearly as fast as I by the time baseball season started. I was pleased to find out that Joseph had made varsity and his parents gave me an extra 2000Pb. That put me at 15000Pb for the winter. I was not complaining. To celebrate, I bought a small Miltank for 600Pb and developed a new training exercise for Azrael.

The point was to ambush the Miltank without it noticing Azrael's presence. I showed him where vulnerable spots were on the cow pokemon, much to the chagrin of the Miltank. I tried my best to explain an ambush strategy to him, and he far exceeded what I had intended. I had intended for him to loosen the earth underneath strategic spots where the Miltank could step in and potentially break a leg. Instead, I had the Miltank walking down the path when the entire area in front of it caved in. The pit was about seven feet deep. The Miltank's front end fell in with its back legs still on solid ground, but in the confusion of the cave in, the Miltank did not notice Azrael waiting right under the ground in front of his trap. With the Miltank's front end hanging down, Azrael burst from the wall of the pit and latched on to the top of the Miltank's lowered neck. He clamped down hard and broke the Miltank's neck.

Azrael then ran over to me holding bits of bone and flesh in his mouth. He stopped in front of me looking excited and proud, then quickly changed moods and returned to his kill with an attitude conveying the thought, "Of _course_ I did that." It was heartwarming to experience.

During those few weeks I also developed training exercises for both of us to strengthen our different abilities. I salvaged rope from my father's abandoned ranch (during the day) and made makeshift harnesses attached to large logs. The point was to build endurance and strength when I had us dragging them across the clearing, back and forth.

Another exercise was my custom deforestation service exercise. I bought a hatchet and a larger wood-chopping axe. Azrael and I would race each other in chopping down trees, me with the wood-chopping axe or both the hatchet and knife and Azrael with his claws, teeth, or tail. I would also have him roll logs by hitting them with his tail.

To train his special abilities, I had him breathe his small blue flame as long as he could time after time, over a boulder. I would then have him hug the boulder for as long as he could to develop his toughness towards it. I was not nearly resilient, so I exercised in different ways during those sessions.

We continued the exercises into the summer. I noticed Azrael growing at a faster rate; he had grown taller than me by May. We had both grown faster, though I could outrun him and outmaneuver him when participating in drills that had us weaving between trees. He still hit more trees than avoided, but he was getting better. He could rip apart a good sized tree trunk in minutes with his claws and he could sustain his blue fire breath for a minute straight. By running into so many trees during our drills, I could tell he was toughening up, as he just shrugged off the collisions.

The best part, though, was he was starting to listen to me and warm up to me. I rarely had to jab him in the spiracle, though it wasn't for attacking me or disobeying. Trainers heading through the territory and trying to go around Viridian Forest would sometimes wander close to the reserve and I had to occasionally jab him in the spiracle to keep him from ambushing them. He had problems with other people and I knew that would be problematic.

On top of our training regimens and constant bonding, I taught him to hunt in tandem with me. His pit ambush trap worked wonders; that and I was becoming quite adept at bow hunting. I felt particularly proud of us both when we took down a small herd of Stantler without getting injured. There were four in total, two males and two females, all of which had antlers and black orbs. All Stantler have antlers but females tend to have skinnier, shorter antlers.

I told Azrael the plan and he followed it perfectly. We had tracked the Stantler along a game trail to a small clearing. I knew that Stantler would rather run than fight, unless they were being hurt, so I planned accordingly. I had to wait a few minutes before Azrael's head popped up on the other side of the clearing, signaling me that he was ready to begin. His head descended and I readied an arrow from my perch in a tree on outskirts of the meadow.

Suddenly, Azrael erupted underneath a Stantler buck, grabbed its neck with his powerful jaws, and dragged him underground. As it bellowed in distress, the other three pointed their antlers at the ground where it disappeared, their backs turned to me. Perfect. I let loose one arrow and quickly elongated another while dropping down behind the tree. The arrow sailed smoothly in the air and hit the other buck in the back of the neck, piercing its jugular. It collapsed and the females stopped to look at it when Azrael, taking the opportunity in the momentary lull, erupted in front of them and screeched, sending out a jet of blue fire at both of the does. They had officially been spooked and they ran in the opposite direction of Azrael, towards me.

They never made it to the edge of the forest, for after about ten feet, the ground collapsed underneath them. I rushed out of the tree line when I heard the rumble of the ground caving in. I had my bow in one hand and the arrow in the other and stopped fifteen feet away from the top of the collapsed wall. I took a knee, quickly notched another arrow, and waited. I didn't have to wait long before I heard the pained bellow of a doe and the other one was scrambling up the wall. I was ready for it and let loose and arrow. It sailed perfectly through the air and embedded itself in the doe's heart. She fell back into the pit as Azrael emerged from the ground beside me. He looked as happy as I had ever seen him before. The difference is that time he didn't choose to hide it. His mouth was open, his hands were rubbing together, and he was making a croaking noise. Then he turned to me and bit me on the shoulder.

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Hunting Stantler, Pidgey, Sentret, Pachirisu, and Hoothoot kept Azrael fed and money in my pocket for a few months in the summer. I had to purchase a hunting license to keep from getting in trouble with the law. I continued to have meals with my parents, but as time progressed, the amount of meals I partook in shrunk to one meal per day: dinner. This is because I started eating what Azrael and I could kill. Sharing food became a tradition between us, and I taught him how to control the intensity of his flame, using techniques my father used on Rapidash, in order to cook the food without burning it.

If my parents noticed I was gone, they didn't voice their concern very often. Occasionally they would ask me what I was up to and I would tell them I was working on some odd job here or there which accounted for my dirty clothes. They seemed happy that I was serious about working and providing the majority of my own food. I felt bad for lying, but I knew they wouldn't stand for the truth.

By August, I had a working bond with Azrael. It was to the point where I would sneak out of the house at night to spend it with Azrael, and then sneak back in the morning before sunrise so my parents wouldn't ask any questions. Azrael had grown to be a foot taller than me, full of muscle and spirit. By that time, I had long been thinking about a new member for our team, and had finally come to a conclusion.

The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. I didn't want every day pests which could be found almost anywhere. Pidgey would eventually become Pidgeot, if trained correctly, which were useful for flying and were fearless in battle. However, I had Azrael for that. I wanted something to strike fear in the hearts of my adversaries. Those big green and white eyes peered at me in the back of my mind, and I knew exactly where to find them.

It's been said that Gastly frequent areas where horrible things have happened. It would explain why I met one at my father's ranch almost a year ago. The stallions there had been slaughtered in their stalls by seismic upheavals and a raging dragon's claws and teeth. It was a traumatic enough death for many to pass on to Gastly. They are the souls of pokemon killed in such a terrible way that they linger on after death, haunting and feeding off of the world that killed them in such a way. What better pokemon to inspire fear? Not a fear of a predator, but a terror of the supernatural and the malevolent. Gastly keep some of the memories and traits of their deceased former selves for a short time after dying. As time progresses, they lose touch with their former selves and change into something entirely different, mentally and physically. Apart from physical nourishment, they feed on fear, pain, and sadness, making graveyards and other places reminiscent of death ideal locations to dwell.

Psychological warfare works wonders for creating an advantage over an opponent. First, I would scare my opponents on a primal level with Azrael, and then I would chill them to the bone with a ghost. I made up my mind and decided to return to my father's ruined ranch after dark on a warm night.

It was a warm early-August night but my bones rattled and chills ran down my spine. The night was still and silent at the ranch. I didn't hear any whinnying. Since so much time had passed since that horrible night, the Gastly here would have no connection to their former selves.

I felt no fear. Once you triumph over and train a dragon, and the offspring of Kira at that, other things suddenly cease to frighten you as easily. Azrael's bite had developed into a fearful attack which he added some of his special abilities to. His bite utilized what trainers referred to as "dark power" to hit creatures existing in a different plane of existence, like ghosts, and to disrupt psychic abilities. Azrael could attack ghosts with his bite, so my chances of catching a Gastly were high.

Beyond having high hopes and expectations for this endeavor, I was also excited because that would be my first opportunity to command Azrael in a battle. Before then, we had planned ambushes that lasted several seconds, I had let him loose onto smaller rodents, and we had practiced several strategies that we had not had the chance to employ. This battle was going to be different for one major reason: We weren't going to kill the Gastly. This would take self-control and a more delicate approach than outright pokeslaughter.

I explained to Azrael, "We don't want to kill the ghost. We are looking for a teammate who can help us grow stronger in different ways. I have no doubt that you and I can handle **any **danger we come across, but having teammates can be very useful. This means that you will have to tone down your anger and hold back once it appears to be getting weak." Azrael gave me a disappointed look and stomped the ground, issuing his affirmative.

I brought my last Ponyta tranquilizer dart that night. I instructed Azrael to follow me underground, five feet below me so that the ground wouldn't cave in. He would follow me by feeling the seismic vibrations created by my footsteps.

In that way, it looked like I was wandering into the ranch alone. Gastly feed from pain? I decided to put on a little show. I pretended to trip and intentionally landed with my arm striking a jagged piece of wood, cutting myself and drawing blood. I overplayed the pain with a yelp and nursed my arm in my lap. It did not hurt nearly as much as Azrael's occasional nip.

I looked around and waited. After a few moments, I stood up slowly and continued my façade by holding my arm close. Suddenly, a chill crept up my back as the air grew cold unnaturally quickly. I smirked, jumped forward with a twist in midair, and landed facing the ghost. My breath caught in my throat and my heart skipped a beat.

Instead of large green and white eyes staring back at me, two large and narrow white eyes with red irises glared at me. A large mouth hung open, sharp teeth shining amongst dripping acidic saliva. The eyes and mouth belonged to a face/body suspended five feet above the ground, coupled with the fact that the pokemon itself was five feet tall. The pokemon's body was made of condensed shadow, capable of taking a physical form. Three-clawed hands hung beneath the shadows of the floating ghost. It was the second evolutionary stage of Gastly: a Haunter.

Whereas a Gastly could only physically attack with its lick, relying on its mental fogging capabilities, a Haunter could condense his body into a physical, corporeal form, allowing it to attack with bites and claws. That was much unexpected, which caught me by surprise and forced me to hesitate. It was uncommon to find the second evolution of a pokemon in the wild; it usually meant the pokemon was the alpha of a pack or a strong solitary survivor. It was very rare to find a third evolution of a pokemon in the wild, and that was not a situation you wanted to find yourself in.

When I had jumped forward, I had stomped hard on the ground, signaling Azrael. His following distance had been five feet behind me, so my jump had created room between us which the Haunter had filled, effectively pincered between us. While I looked at the alpha ghost, paralyzed on the spot, chills ran up and down my spine. I was snapped out of my frightened reverie by Azrael screaming out of the ground behind the Haunter. He quickly bit onto the Haunter with a darkness-powered chomp and ripped away a portion of its shadowy body.

The Haunter disappeared and then reappeared behind Azrael, biting his tail with its acidic teeth. It then shook Azrael's tail violently, making him cry out in pain. That pissed me off. Azrael tried to reach around behind his shoulder to bite the Haunter, but his lack of a neck prevented him from doing so. Then Azrael saw a figure rush past him with a scowl, holding a Sneasel's claw overhanded. The figure dragged the blade along the Haunter's side, spilling black blood. Since the Haunter was condensed for its bite, I was able to slice its side.

I winked at Azrael as I feigned another trip, hoping he noticed it. The Haunter, seeing me fall, sent a wave of confusion into Azrael's mind; making him think he was underground somewhere else, fighting off a swarm of Zubat. The Haunter then rounded on me, lying on the ground with the tranquilizer dart held behind my back. The Haunter extended its tongue towards me, intent to paralyze me before making me watch it kill my pokemon. It didn't expect me to put a needle into its tongue. Never fails. But I burned my hand on the acid in his excessively large mouth.

When the Haunter screamed, it sounded like a creepy double scream of a man and a woman screaming at the same time. It was different than the Gastly I had encountered a year ago, with the separate pitches more close.

I quickly rolled away and reached into my pocket for a pokeball. I enlarged it and then threw it at the Haunter. The ball absorbed the Haunter in a burst of white light. When this happened, Azrael's confusion faded and he shook his head. The ball was trembling on the ground until it suddenly broke apart, sending its two halves flying in opposite directions. The Haunter's face drooped slightly, but I could tell it was pissed. Its body then dissipated and became incorporeal but still visible.

I yelled out, "Azrael, bite it, then hold on and scratch!" To my delight, Azrael shook of the rest of his disorientation and leapt towards the Haunter, and used his bite attack. Due to the dark nature of the bite, he was able to reach into the darkness in which the Haunter hid and grab ahold of the ghost with his jaws. This caused immense pain for the ghost, which began to spasm, condensing and dissipating in and out of physical form while in Azrael's grasp.

As the Haunter screamed, Azrael started scratching furiously, still latched onto the ghost's body. Some scratches hit and others missed due to the Haunter's spasmodic materialization and dissipation. After a few seconds, I could hear the Haunter's screams growing fainter so I yelled, "That's good enough! Now let it go!" Azrael did not yield and my heart skipped a beat.

I ran behind the two fighting pokemon as quickly as I could and threw another pokeball. The burn on my hand caused me to fumble the pokeball in pain and miss the Haunter. I cursed and withdrew my last pokeball. I clenched as the pain on my hand intensified and threw the pokeball with as much accuracy as I could muster. I hit the Haunter, though the ball nearly missed.

The ghost disappeared inside a pokeball again which dropped to the ground at Azrael's feet. Azrael was still snarling and staring into the space where the Haunter had been previously. The ball squirmed and wiggled for ten seconds before coming to a halt. I walked over to the enraged dragon, taking a foolish leap of faith and trust, and he turned and snarled at me. I returned him immediately.

The Greatball showed Azrael's health at 62% and I nearly fainted when the pokeball showed the Haunter at 2%. The Greatball also showed that Azrael had been poisoned, probably by the Haunter's bite. Well there goes 75Pb for an antidote. I searched around as quickly as I could after shrinking the two pokeballs down to golf balls until I found the pokeball I had mis-thrown.

I left the creepy abandoned ranch, where so much pain lingered on, and went back to the reserve. I released Azrael and jabbed him in the spiracle.

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Training Haunter was not as difficult as I would have expected. Perhaps there was something dark in me that the Haunter could relate to. Perhaps it chose to wait until I was vulnerable to make a move. Perhaps it was the dragon keeping it in line when I couldn't. Whatever the reason, the speed at which I was able to make him obedient was astonishing and probably reflected a dark nature within myself.

In reality, ghost pokemon are very difficult to train. For one thing, they differ from many other pokemon in that they do not share a hatred of solitary confinement inside of a pokeball. Ghosts are naturally solitary, lonely, and long-living so they did not mind long hours of alone time. It is difficult to discipline a pokemon you cannot touch or bore into submission; it is why few trainers have ghost pokemon. It is also why trainers and non-trainers alike are wary of those who were known to possess ghost pokemon. More often than not, the trainers who possess ghost pokemon have a hidden dark side; a macabre personality or mindset the ghost could relate to.

Perhaps the idea that I couldn't control it never crossed my mind because of the nature of the tactics I was planning on using. Perhaps my mind was dark enough to ignore that little speed bump. Psychological warfare could be considered dark and cruel. I didn't consider myself cruel, but that may have been because I never evaluated myself with respect to ethics. Furthermore, just because I didn't consider myself cruel didn't mean that I wasn't. I did what I had to in order to get the results I needed, without taking it too far.

I trained Azrael with harsh and unflinching methods, but harsh methods were needed sometimes to control powerful monsters who responded to power, aggression, and dominance. At least that's what I kept telling myself.

As I said earlier, Haunter was easier to train than expected, but that did not stop it from trying to kill me a few times in the beginning, even though he was in such a weakened state. I had left Azrael in his Greatball for the initial release during the day, so that I could address my new pokemon alone. I released it and returned it many times, as it tried to rush me. It tried many more times than Azrael, showing me that it had a very persistent nature. The Haunter even tried to evade the pokeball by becoming immaterial, but the pokeball was God's leash within thirty feet; it could not evade the pokeball. With a little patience and the aid of the pokeball, the Haunter gave up and floated in place watching me.

I realized that the Haunter would probably not have the ability to understand me like Azrael but I spoke all the same. I said to it, "Now that you understand the position you're in, I'd like to welcome you to my team. If you behave, life will go smoothly. However, misbehave and I will make your life worse." (Though making the remnants of a horrifically killed pokemon's life worse is a difficult endeavor) "If you don't believe me, I will ask you to remember the pain my friend here put you through." As I said that last sentence, I released Azrael beside me.

"He is perfectly capable of inflicting that same pain upon you again if you attack me." Azrael growled in confirmation. I then turned to Azrael and said to him, "Our ability to communicate is lacking with our new teammate, so I will need your help in getting my point across." Azrael stomped and grunted in acknowledgement. I put my hand, not on the spiracle, but on the point where his dorsal fin met back with his body and scratched, which I had come to find he enjoyed. The Haunter had settled in the air and was watching me intently. It had a grin on its face which I couldn't place. I kept it in its pokeball most of the time until I trusted it, but kept it confined at night, regardless.

My methods for training the Haunter included multiple aspects. Its respect for me grew, as I did not try to stifle that which made it a terrifying pokemon. I let it hunt and slaughter small rodent pokemon in any way it chose. It delighted in making his prey suffer mentally, and sometimes physically, before devouring them. I let Haunter practice his horrific tactics, but I would have to teach him when to get serious. That would take more time.

Azrael was a great help in including the Haunter in our training exercises, but the Haunter had a tendency to laze through the exercises. For example, it would fly through the trees instead of dodging and weaving between them. I was also able to incorporate teamwork exercises then. They both built speed when I ordered the Haunter to keep corporeal except to dodge scratches by Azrael.

Haunter exercised its mental abilities often, on smaller pokemon that it hunted. It even tried to use them on Azrael and I. Neither of us was impressed, but the Haunter would laugh maniacally when we glared at him for it. I eventually named him after Elite Four Agatha's prized Gengar, Gilles. Gilles was a male name so we generally referred to Gilles as a male, even though ghosts in general did not mate. In only a week and a half, Gilles was listening to me the majority of the time.

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Around the same time I noticed Gilles listening to me, I decided to apply for a Trainer's License and PokeDex. Joining the Pokemon League grants people certain benefits, but imposes certain restrictions. As a recognized trainer, your pokemon must be registered. It is easy to register them, as well; your PokeDex could scan the information in your pokeball through the pokeball interface. Since the PokeDex has high density energy storage with solar power cells, and since it is so easy to do, there is no excuse for not registering your pokemon as a League trainer.

Any trainer carrying an unregistered pokemon faces fines and an investigation for criminal activity. Furthermore, trainers are not allowed to run for any political office in Kanto. This is to safeguard politics from those who solely sought benefits. It is to make sure that politicians are not absent for extended periods of time, training. It is also to prevent under-handed intimidation by a politician's pokemon.

The benefits of being a League Trainer are exceptional. A trainer received free pokemon medical care, free housing in a Pokecenter for three nights per week, and they are allowed to buy tax-free food for themselves and their pokemon. The other countries like Johto and Sinnoh respected the benefits of pokemon trainers everywhere but had different restrictions regarding political service.

There are several reasons why trainers are given benefits. They keep the wild pokemon population at bay, they keep the military expenses down by being the first line of defense against pokemon, they provide a significant source of income for cities whose pokemon gyms draw in many spectators who pay to watch, and sometimes, when a trainer's pokemon does not wish to return to the wild after the trainer has retired, the pokemon can be used as state resources.

The Pokemon League application was free but the PokeDex was 1500Pb. For young trainers, many of whom did not have the funds for a new PokeDex, financing options were available that allowed them to pay the price over time. The PokeDex was a trainer's Pokemon League license.

In order to apply for the Pokemon League, the would-be trainer has to already have one pokemon and show a certain competency with it. However, competency is relative to the trainer, what kind of pokemon they have, and their relationship with it. In order to assess whether or not a person meets the standards of the League, the League sends out two representatives, one psychologist and one pokemon specialist, to evaluate the person. They assess the threat level of their species of pokemon and how well the person handles their pokemon.

Threat levels ranged from one to ten. Most first-stage pokemon in three-stage evolution trees were given a 1-4 rating, and most third-stage pokemon received a 7-10 rating. If the person applying for the League license failed, they were not issued a PokeDex and they were added to a list of people with dangerous pokemon who were watched by the local governments. Lastly in order to keep the benefits of the Pokemon League, trainers must earn their first gym badge within one year of receiving their PokeDex. This was to keep the League clear of people who train a single pokemon just to get the benefits.

I was told that my evaluation was going to be held on the last day of August at the Viridian City Gym. I had little time left and I still had not told my parents. I planned on telling them after passing my certification test.

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On August 20th, I arrived home after training to find my parents sitting at the table, waiting for me. In front of them, on the table, was a cake. It was a giant cookie with red, white, and green icing. The red icing spelled out, "Happy 17th Birthday!" I was so taken aback that my parents had done that for me that I hardly realized I had forgotten my own birthday.

After almost an entire year of apathy towards me, of developing drinking problems, and of unspoken sadness, they remembered my birthday when I had not. I held back tears as they both said, "Happy Birthday _." They both had smiles on their faces, a sight lost in the past year. I sat down, thanking them. My father then said, "I know it's been a tough year. It's been hard on all of us, but we are doing our best with the cards we've been dealt."

My mother chimed in, "I know it seems like we've been distant, and we have been. We are so sorry you've had to learn to provide for yourself. Your father has just been offered a job as a trainer and consultant for the Arcanine breeder, Lee, in town. We should now have a steady source of income."

I listened to them and felt guilty for lying to them. I felt guilty for thinking of them as weak creatures. I was just happy that they had not really forgotten about me amidst the problems in their lives.

My father led on, after my mother, "Now that we have some source of income, we can start thinking about college. I'm sure you've given it some thought but I'd like you to do some research on where you want to go and what degree you want to pursue." My guilt intensified, as with a little resentment. "We can get loans now that we have an income. And this way, you don't have work menial jobs over the years to try and progress slowly up the social ladder."

Despite my guilt and the topic of college, I enjoyed the night. It was the first in almost a year that we had a solid, cheerful conversation amongst us. I went to bed and re-evaluated my plan of action. No parent deserved to learn that their son was leaving on the day of his departure. I would tell them exactly one week before my appointment. In the meantime, I had four days to work my anxiety out in exercises with Azrael and Gilles.

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I walked through the door of my home. My parents were waiting in the dining room, as per usual. It was time. I was going to tell my parents of my plans to become a trainer. It had been difficult the past four days to decrease my anxiety because my parents had begun talking more during dinner, trying to bring our family back to normal. It was one thing to leave the house after a year of being ignored, and another thing entirely to leave when my parents were trying to make things better. However, I did not forget the past year and that helped me assuage my anxiety.

For this event, I had purchased a Miltank and a Mareep, for Azrael and Gilles respectively, to eat and fill up, so they would have no reason to attack anyone. I had promised them another of each afterwards if they were on their best behaviors.

This was particularly nerve-wracking because this was the first time I would be revealing my companions to anyone, let alone my pokemon-fearing parents. They were both in their pokeballs and awaiting my summons.

"Mother. Father. I have some something to discuss with you both. Something serious… Something you will both probably not like."

Their faces grew serious and my father said, "What is it?"

"It would be best if we went outside," I said and left through the door without giving them the chance to protest. I headed out to the middle of our yard, next to the fence behind which Blazerunner stood. There was still light outside but the sun was setting. My parents both walked outside to see me standing cross armed.

"What is this? Why do we need to be outside?" asked my father.

"I've brought you out here to tell you that I won't be pursuing college." My father's face grew stolid. "Instead, I've made up my mind and I've set the wheels in motion to join the Pokemon League. And before you protest, I have already begun the process."

My father's eyes grew angry and he said, "We brought you up with the notion that the Pokemon League is off limits. Are you going to ignore what we said, just because we've gone through a hard time? Be reasonable. You have the ability to go to college and live a good life, wealthier than most, with a degree. You also need a pokemon to apply for the League. We will not be paying for one, and Blazerunner is off limits."

"That is why I brought you out here. And I will not be ignoring all you've said. Because of what you said, I'm still alive. I will never underestimate pokemon. I don't want to go to college. I want to compete in the League. I don't need you to buy me a pokemon; I already have pokemon. I'm telling you now because in one week, the League representatives are evaluating me." I pulled out a pokeball and said, "I brought you out here to prove to you that I don't need your help with being a trainer." My mother had remained quiet and my father had crossed his arms.

"Well let's see it then. Prove to us that you are capable of defending yourself against Ursaring, Staravia, Golbat, Mightyena, and Luxio." He had a look of complete and utter lack of confidence. It changed to a frightened look when I released Gilles. My mother let loose a small gasp and took a small step slightly behind my father. Blazerunner was snorting and pawing the ground, which upset Gilles who turned on him and made a low screeching sound. It did not frighten Blazerunner, but it did frighten my parents. They yelled at me, "Don't let that monster near Blazerunner! He's all we have left!" but they were too scared to come close.

Gilles had been corporeal so I put a hand on its head, amidst my parents yelling at me not to touch it, and said, "Stand down Gilles. He won't hurt you and you are not to hurt him." His screeching turned into a low growl and he turned towards my parents who were now amazed, but nonetheless frightened. "Gilles, these are my parents. Mother, Father, this is Gilles. He's my Haunter and I am his trainer."

My parents were dumbfounded and stammered out respective "hellos" before I returned him. "So _that's_ how you will survive, frighten off any monster that comes near you with a ghost? It is terrifying but some pokemon are hard to scare. And how strong is it actually? You obviously have some control over it and I'm nervous as to how you were able to do so," said my father.

I replied back, "Well there are couple things I need to say. The first is that Gilles is the second stage of a three-stage pokemon and I caught him that way, so he's fairly strong for his species. The second is that Gilles is not my starter." That warranted looks of disbelief and nervousness from my parents. "He is more terrifying and powerful than Gilles. Do not overreact and please give him a chance."

I took out my Greatball, which both of my parents noticed and said, "Where did you get that? Is that the necklace you've been wearing around your neck since graduation?"

I replied, "Yes. Uncle Ray gave it to me. It was a real Greatball and I used it to catch my very first pokemon." I pointed the Greatball beside me and released Azrael. By this time, the top of his head was a foot and a half taller than mine and his fin rose two feet above that. His black scales and maroon stomach glinted from the setting sun.

Immediately upon Azrael's release, my parents cried out and Blazerunner jumped the fence to stand in between us, fiery mane intense and flaring. "Get away from it! It'll kill you!" they shouted. I put my hand on top of Azrael's spiracle but did not press down. He did not become angry and did not become confrontational with Blazerunner. He simply stood beside me and stared at the angry Rapidash.

Amidst their terrified screaming I yelled, "Would you please return Blazerunner? I've made my point with him." They continued to fret and yell but I patiently waited for them to tire themselves out. A little patience can go a long way. When they finally realized I wasn't listening to them and Azrael wasn't going to move, they returned Blazerunner and stood glaring at me.

"How on earth did you find a dragon? Is it about to evolve? It's too big! How is it now attacking you?" ranted my mother.

"Is that a Gible? How did you find one out here?" said my father with disbelief.

"This is Azrael. He is my first pokemon. We are a team and he is the offspring of Kira, which is why he's so big. Again, he has done nothing wrong and his presence is probably the reason why Kira went mad when Uncle Ray took her away. As you can see, he is not going to harm anyone." I looked at the incredulous expressions of my gawking parents. They remained quiet. It is kind of difficult to argue with the facts.

My mother finally said, "I don't want you to go. It's dangerous out there, even if you have a dragon and a ghost." My father followed up with, "Think of what you'll be giving up if you leave. We won't be able to help you if you leave for the League. If you go to college, we can help you when you need it."

I grew frustrated and said, "I know what I'm giving up and I've been planning on it for most of my life. I never intended to go to college after school. I'm following my dream. And where were you both after Kira attacked? Why did it take a year for you to show me you still cared? I learned what I had to in order to follow my dream. I'm not a child; you can't change my mind."

"We've lost so much already. We don't want to lose you, too," said my mother, tears rolling down her face.

"When I get my PokeDex, I will be able to call and keep in touch with you. You can also follow my progress on the League's website," I replied.

At that moment, a police officer appeared, next to the Gym Leader of Viridian City, both holding pokeballs and both releasing a Seal and an Arcanine, respectively. I left my hand on Azrael's spiracle, now very nervous.

Pierce Williamson yelled out, "Is that your pokemon son?"

I replied, "Yes it is, sir. What seems to be the problem?"

"We received a report that a dragon was causing problems here. We came to investigate. May I see your pokemon license or Pokedex?" I had neither.

"Sir, I have an appointment with League representatives in one week to evaluate me for the League. As you can see, my Gible is not causing any problems." Indeed, Azrael had not moved. He remained standing; now staring at the two men and their pokemon.

"Can we have proof of this? Return your pokemon so we can relax." I did so and the policeman and gym leader returned their pokemon as well. "Thank you. Now show me the appointment confirmation."

The night was long and frustrating. In the end I was able to keep my pokemon, though a close eye was kept on me by the Gym Leader. I had shown them my emailed application status and Azrael had not done anything rash or aggressive that night, so I was given a little leeway. It turns out that the butcher had paid a kid to follow me and find out what I was doing with the livestock. The kid had been frightened when he saw me feeding my pokemon and returned to tell the butcher what he saw. The butcher then investigated himself, finding me at my house with an enraged Rapidash in front of a dragon.

My parents did not give up trying to convince me to stay, but their attempts were in vain. I was so close to becoming a trainer. They had slightly loosened up towards Azrael but I kept him at his burrow at night anyway. Then, on the last day of August, I headed into the city and into the gym for my assessment.

My parents both surprised me by attending and watching. The League psychologist was a woman named Mary and the pokemon specialist was a man named Leon. They gave me some initial paperwork to fill out before continuing. When they received my paperwork and saw the two pokemon I had listed, they both were surprised. The man looked at me and said, "I don't know how you were able to get the Gible, but is this a joke? The League does not take kindly to wasting our time."

I told him it wasn't a joke and released Azrael. Both of them were taken aback, from the size of the dragon and from the fact that a seventeen year old boy was keeping him from attacking anyone. The man told me Gible were considered threat level four but the size and ancestry of Azrael put him at a five. I did the same with Gilles, who was considered a threat level six. Due to my competent hold over both of my pokemon, to the surprise of both my parents and the League representatives, they approved me for the League and handed over a brand new shining red PokeDex. I was so happy that I hugged Azrael, who grumbled and shook me off.

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One week later, I had packed a backpack full of supplies that I had purchased over the week and was having my last meal at home before I set out to conquer the gyms. My mother and father were silent for most of the meal. Finally, my father said, "It seems that we cannot dissuade you from this. If you need help, we will do the best we can. Please visit occasionally. We will be worried most of the time."

I nodded and assured them that I would not forget them before my mother said, "We know this last year has taught you to be on your own, but please take this with you. It's what we can afford to help you with." My mother had slid across the table 5000Pb.

"I can't accept that, mother. You need it here more than I do. I spent the last year saving up money for this." I stuttered out.

My father then said, "Take it, son. It's all we can do for you and we want you to have it. It's yours. Please be careful. Call us and update us often."

I agreed and took the money, feeling a little guilty. I could hardly sleep that night knowing my dream was becoming a reality. I had let Azrael out in my room, so that he could sleep with me that night, without my parents noticing. In the morning, after returning him, I said farewell to my parents amidst wishes of "good luck," and "be careful." I deposited most of my money in the Kanto Federal Bank, keeping 1000Pb in my pocket and left Viridian City, heading north to Viridian Forest. Leaving the city behind and feeling the ground beneath my feet as I walked along the path felt exciting. I let my pokemon out once I left the city limits and we made our way towards the forest. The sun was shining, its rays bouncing off Azrael's scales, being evaded by Gilles who had dematerialized, and brightening up my wide smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Author's Note:

So, just how dark is the main character? O.o Only time will tell. Until then, on to Viridian Forest!

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The many stories people hear about pokemon training being this glamorous and amazing career, with groomed and fit pokemon fighting in awe-inspiring clashes between monsters, are only one side of the whole story. People see trainers taking on the gyms and only see the pokemon after they've been healed of their injuries at the pokemon center. They hear of friendly battles on the routes between cities. They hear about hearty campfires in the wilderness. PokeAdvocates sell stuffed pokemon to appeal to children as fluffy, friendly companions.

Those are only what people hear and see for themselves, in a society where they are capable of being framed that way. Few people ignorant of the trainer's path are as wary of pokemon as they should be. People hear of fun adventures and see marvelous expositions of pokemon battles in the safe confines of their cities. What they do not know about is what it _feels_ like to be a trainer.

Trainers experience the most extreme feelings throughout their careers. They will feel fear. They will feel dread. They will feel that creepy feeling at the base of their neck when they know someone or something is watching them but cannot be located. Most of them know the feeling of solitude, save for the company of their pokemon. Finally, they will all know sadness.

They know that trainer battles on the road can be anything but friendly. They know that the road to the Indigo Plateau is a harsh, vicious, uncaring, and unforgiving road. It is a road where you have to defeat those around you in order to progress. Many who begin training are incapable of passing the first gym in the circuit. Few make it through the entire circuit and even fewer win battles with the Elite Four. The path of the trainer is a path of hardship and strife. It is a path that pushes you past your limits, attempting to break your spirit, and it succeeds with the majority of trainers.

It was during the first night that I realized how much I had to learn when it comes to the life of a trainer. I had entered the forest during the day, stopping at the Viridian Forest Rangers' Lodge. I purchased a 15Pb map and found out later that it was much more difficult to read than I thought it would be. It was a minor speed bump, but it did nothing to dampen my spirits.

The road led past the Lodge and into the forest, turning from a hardened dirt and gravel path into a grassy dirt path. At that point, the forest had swallowed the road, letting few rays of sunshine through the branches of the trees overhead. The trees had been growing progressively closer together and taller as I approached the Lodge and when I arrived, even though it was a little past noon, the area was cast in shadow. At the beginning, it felt good to take shelter in the shade of the trees. By the time I exited the forest, the sun had become the most glorious sensation I could possibly take in.

I had two objectives when I entered Viridian Forest: to make it through and to train there. Many children wanted to conquer the circuit in one year, which was no different than the goals of trainers throughout the history of pokemon training. This had several consequences which I wanted to avoid. The first was that the trainers were forced to always keep moving, straining themselves and their pokemon. Whereas I had no problem straining myself and working with my pokemon, I found no reason why I shouldn't go at my own pace.

The second consequence was that, even though pokemon matured and evolved faster when driven harder, many pokemon were still barely over a year old when they fought the upper level gyms and the Elite Four. They would be battling seasoned veterans who had had decades of quality training with experienced pokemon trainers. The trainers who took on the gyms were children with little training experience. Countless pokemon died in the arena because their trainers were not competent enough, the pokemon themselves weren't competent enough, or they simply could not stand against an adult gym pokemon.

The last consequence was post-championship. The rare few who were able to beat some Elite Four members had no idea what to do afterwards. Gym Leaders and Elite Four members had to have many years of experience to be considered for the position, as well as being exceptional trainers. Many became apprentices to gym leaders. The very rare child challenger to the Champion would not be offered the position of Kanto Champion until he or she reached the minimum age of 25 years old.

Not only did I start two years late, but I was also going to take my time so that I was competent enough to expertly face the challenges to come. I was doing this as much for my sake as for the sake of my pokemon. I would not allow Azrael to fight against the best pokemon in the League without being adequately prepared.

I found myself walking with a skip in my step, Azrael following along beside me and Gilles weaving lazily between the trees. The path had quickly become overgrown and hard to follow but I wasn't paying enough attention to care; it was still visible enough to follow. That should have warned me in advance, because I had only just entered the forest and the path was becoming overgrown. It did not cross my mind that the path might become almost impossible to follow deeper in the forest.

Before long, I started noticing a few things in the forest. I noticed there were many spider webs in the canopies above me. I noticed the hardened footprints in the dirt were becoming less noticeable. I noticed collateral damage from pokemon fights, like claw marks etched into the ground and into trees. I noticed spots on trees where the bark had been pulled off and various symbols had been etched onto the trunk. There were many trees upon which children had scratched hopeful messages and even some hearts with names inside them. There were also warnings. Some read, "hope you brought a blanket," or, "Don't approach Teddiursa," or, "keep your water bottles full and boil the water." Most of the warnings held information that I already had, but I decided to take note of some.

Even though it had been a few months past that year's graduation, some people left much later than others. It explained why I saw a few people every now and then. Some people had just begun, while others were leaving the forest. Through a few conversations, I learned that it was very easy to get lost in the forest and very frustrating to try and traverse the confusing paths. Normally people would have asked for some sort of compensation for the given information, but much of that information was gained with the help of an intimidating dragon standing beside me.

I thought it was fun seeing people having pokemon battles out in different clearings, even if the pokemon they were using were Pidgey, Caterpie, Weedle, and Oddish. I decided to sneak a peek at one of the trainer's PokeDexes and saw that his highest pokemon's level was 7. I looked at my own to compare and saw that Azrael was level 12 and Gilles was level 14 (I didn't focus on my pokemons' levels too much). If I battled any of them, I would wipe the floor with them, and although it would earn me a little money and give my pokemon a little experience, I didn't want to make unnecessary enemies out in the wild.

I decided to continue on without challenging any of the younger children. I found my first fork in the path after about 2 hours of walking. I was sure that it might have been a game trail meeting up with the path that people had worn into an identical path, but that did not help me figure out which way to go. I took out my map and tried to decipher where I was, but it was no help.

In a last attempt, I looked around at the trees and rejoiced when I found a carving that had an arrow pointing in the correct direction. We traveled along the path at a leisurely pace until we came upon another fork. This one had no tree sign so I had to make an uneducated decision and went with the left path.

Azrael had been alert most of the time until we made camp. It was only after we were settled down that he relaxed, though he burrowed and started making a circle of upturned dirt around the campsite, marking the boundaries. _Smart dragon_. Gilles was hovering around and cackling for no apparent reason.

Azrael's digging was slower than usual, and when he emerged, he was snarling at the trees around him. I approached and put a hand on his spiracle, calming him down. I asked, "Azrael, what's the problem?" He responded by waddling over to a tree, burying his head into the base, and pulling up some of the tree's roots. "Oh, I see. You can't dig very fast when you're getting tangled up in the roots." Azrael huffed and started shaking all the loose dirt from his scales.

We settled for the night next to a small brook and made a fire. Making camp did not take very long, and when I finished, I looked at Azrael and asked, "So whose hungry?" Azrael perked up immediately and started stretching his muscles. I dumped out my backpack to check my inventory.

I had a hunting knife, the Sneasel claw, a hatchet, flint and steel, my bow and 25 arrow rounds, a flashlight, 2 flare sticks, a small spool of wire, a small bundle of ½ inch-thick rope, a water bottle, 2 dozen ration bars, 10 pokeballs, 4 pairs of extra socks, 2 pairs of extra underwear, an extra pair of jeans, and a t-shirt. I also had a small travel tent, a small sleeping bag, a collapsible pot, a metal spoon, fork, and knife, 10 antidote syringes, 5 paralyz cures, 5 basic potions, and a single revive. I put everything back into my backpack except for the camping supplies, my weapons, and the rope.

I practiced shooting a few arrows into some nearby trees for a couple minutes. When I retrieved the arrows, I turned around to return to the middle of camp and met a shadowy face glaring back at me. The moment I turned and saw him, he let out a shrill screech, making me jump back in fright. The impudent ghost cackled with amusement at my fright. Gilles flew off to another side of the camp, chortling as he flew away from me. I glared at the conniving little shit and said, "Cut that out Gilles! I'll have Azrael bite your hand off!" Gilles didn't seem to care as he continued laughing, rolling around in midair.

I shook off my annoyance and turned my attention back to Azrael who stood awkwardly, looking a little guilty. "Oh you thought it was funny too, huh?" I then muttered to myself, "Crazy pokemon," before retrieving my bow and 7 shells. After that, I asked Azrael, "Could you bury my backpack 5 feet down so nobody steals our stuff?" Azrael still looked like he was holding back a reaction but took my backpack anyway and buried it.

It was time to hunt for dinner so I made a plan. Azrael was having difficulty moving underneath the ground due to the tree roots, so I let him walk with me until we found an adequate lead. Then I would return him to his ball and release him on the other side of the pokemon when I found it. Gilles would become invisible and await my orders. I walked along the side of the stream, keeping track of where I went, until I came across a fresh set of tracks.

The tracks led in and out of the water, so I tried to figure out where the pokemon went. The tracks led to a tree, and there were bite marks on the trunk, which was missing chunks of wood. I knew what pokemon I was tracking, and I was happy knowing that the world would soon be rid of at least one Bidoof. I would need to find more after that because Azrael alone could eat 4 of the beavers. I went back to the stream and tried to find the dam.

It wasn't hard to find. Nor was it hard to find the Bidoof that made it. There were three outside of the dam swimming around and fishing. I released Azrael, not sure yet how he was going to help. He could swim well for a pokemon with a ground type class. His unique physique allowed him to swim through the water like a Sharpedo.

I told him, "Go upstream about 200 feet and swim down, taking the first one you can." He gave a small stomp and rushed back. I then told Gilles, "I need you to scare at least two of them. Give them a mean look until they are frozen in fear. As soon as I shoot one, grab the body, and then you are free to have the third." Gilles let out a short cackle and dissipated.

I loaded an arrow and waited until I saw Azrael's fin moving through the water, then I yelled, "Now, Gilles!" The ghost materialized in front of two of the Bidoof as a large pair of eyes and a gaping, toothy smile. They froze in fear just as Azrael chomped down on the Bidoof furthest upstream. I aimed and shot an arrow right through one of the remaining Bidoof's little bodies. Gilles immediately picked up and threw the dead beaver onto shore and bit down onto the remaining Bidoof's upper body. Gilles then lifted the shrieking Bidoof out of the water, bit down hard, and then swallowed it whole.

My arrow was gone. It had passed clean through the Bidoof and disappeared into the stream. _Well, good thing I brought more than one_. I tied the rope around the Bidoof's tail and continued on after my pokemon returned to my side. Gilles would probably be fine with that amount of food but Azrael would definitely need more to be satisfied. I hunted for another hour, shooting a few Sentret and Pidgey, all of which I gave to Azrael. I also had help from Gilles who would invisibly stalk the small creatures and scare them out of the trees, where they fell to their deaths.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

I returned to my campsite to a small surprise. Azrael had begun growling, a deep rumbling from within his armored stomach, when we drew near. "Azrael, submerge," I commanded, and he obeyed. I withdrew Gilles and approached cautiously, making as little noise as possible.

I could hear a rummaging coming from my tent and saw someone's rear end sticking out of the front flap. I then approached, looking as if I were alone, and declared loudly, "Can I help you?" The person immediately backed out and stood up to face me. A boy around my age faced me with blue jeans, a light gray shirt, and an orange vest. He had styled black hair and I also noted his fairly clean-looking tennis shoes.

He looked at me for a moment, then said, "Sorry, pal. I thought this campsite was abandoned." I knew he was lying. Simply looking at my equipment could show it. My tent and sleeping bags were un-weathered, clean, and hardly used at all.

"That's a lie. So do you live near the forest, come out and steal from young trainers, then go home with the spoils to leave them without shelter or supplies? I think I may call the rangers," I threatened.

The boy's brow furrowed and he said, "I wouldn't even try that. You aren't going to do anything about it. You know why?" I felt cold, sharp metal against my throat. I looked down to find a large metal scythe curved around the front of my neck. It was attached to a hard green carapace.

I instantly knew what the blade belonged to. I knew because it was one of the few bug pokemon I was considering catching. Bug pokemon in general were best for beginners because of their simple minds, group (hive) mentality, and ease in catching. Scyther, however, were not. They were fierce, and although they could be trained easier than many other pokemon which were not bugs, they were very deadly when angered. They could move fast enough to gut a trainer before he could react and call them back to their pokeballs.

I didn't move. I was not going to piss off a man-sized bug that could kill me and then run 10 circles around my body before it hit the floor. "H-Hey now, I was just trying to scare you away. I don't want any trouble," I squeaked, instantly falling into a charade.

"Oh really, you _don't_ want to call the rangers then?" he taunted.

"L-Look, why don't we s-settle this over a pokemon battle," I stammered. "I-If I lose, you can take what you want and I won't c-call the rangers. If I win, you leave and I s-still won't call the rangers. What do you say?" I tried to look as frightened as I could.

"I could just order my Scyther to kill you and then I wouldn't have to deal with this," he smiled menacingly.

"Oh come on. You weren't expecting to kill someone when you came out here, were you? Plus, the first thing the rangers will do when they find my body is perform a search of all the pokemon owners who have a pokemon capable of killing me like your Scyther would. You have nothing to lose. I just don't want to die. I haven't even had a real pokemon battle yet," I quickly sputtered out.

The boy smiled and thought about the situation. Feeling as if he held all the cards, he said, "Slash, let him go." _Slash? What a creative name._ "I'm showing no mercy on your pokemon, bud. Slash will get his fun."

A grin crept across my face as the bug buzzed over to its owner. Now that the blade was off of my neck, my pokemon were free to do something about the situation. I would still participate in the battle, but he was insane if he thought he would get away with this with me. I was going to make him pay for threatening me. I wondered how many young trainers' lives were made miserable by this boy's thievery. I gripped the red pokeball and released Gilles.

"Alright Gilles, remember our drills. Don't let him hit you, slow him down with your scary faces and mean looks so his blades can't hit you, then hypnotize him. Only then should you materialize and attack him. But keep on guard, because he's fast and will try to counter you immediately," I said quickly. The boy had gasped and now wore a furious expression.

"You have a _Haunter_!? Bullshit you haven't had a battle yet. You're going down after your pokemon!" he yelled at me.

"We'll see about that," I said quietly to myself. I motioned for Gilles to go ahead while discretely dragging my foot along the ground. It signaled to Azrael to hold tight.

Gilles flew towards the Scyther as a mass of floating darkness and screeched while overwhelming the bug with a hideous projected image of himself. The Scyther had made an attempted slice at Gilles but the blade had gone through Gilles' body before the bug faltered from the psychological attack. The hypnotism, I knew, would be difficult to pull off because of the hive mind-like brains of insects. Any psychic method of attacking a bug was difficult because they didn't think the way normal creatures did. Their minds function on instinct and loyalty, which makes them difficult to confuse.

To my dismay, the hypnotism did not work, but Gilles was safe as long as he remained incorporeal. "Scare him more with your scary projection!" I yelled. Gilles again pressured the insect's flight response, causing a conflict with its fighting instinct, and slowing it down. "Alright, lick its wings!" I knew that the loss of function of a Scyther's wings was devastating to its maneuverability. So did its trainer.

"Spin, Slash! Don't let it get near your wings!" The Scyther started spinning, but it was too late. In the time it took for his trainer to yell the command, Gilles had floated through the bug's body and reappeared behind him. With a lick full of acid, the Scyther's wings burned and sizzled, causing it to cry out in pain.

"Good, Gilles! Now scratch and bite him while avoiding his blades!" With its movement severely hampered, the Scyther could not move to attack Gilles effectively. He was getting torn up by a disappearing and reappearing ghost that he just couldn't quite hit. Finally, after about a minute of bloody claws opening up wounds in the Scyther's carapace, the bug collapsed. I yelled "Don't stop!" and Gilles proceeded to tear into the body with an unmerciful crow before its trainer recalled him, raging.

"You bastard! I'm not through yet!" The boy's face was maroon as he fumed. He took out another pokeball and released his second pokemon. It looked like a three-foot-tall jagged chunk of rock carved into a quadruped with a horn on its nose. I knew it as a Rhyhorn. I knew that they are very tough and hard to damage. Gilles' scratches and bites would hardly do much damage to it. "Let's see you try that on Rocky!" the boy yelled. _Seriously? Rocky? _I almost laughed at the lack of creativity.

I recalled Gilles, to the surprise of my opponent. I pocketed the ball and then lifted my foot up. I stomped the ground hard and slid my foot forward a foot and a half. "What the hell are you doing?" taunted the boy.

Ten seconds later, his Rhyhorn yelped as it was lifted into the air by an explosion from underneath. The ground split open and Azrael burst out from underneath the Rhyhorn, tearing into its soft stomach. The rocky pokemon tumbled over and re-stabilized itself. Azrael now stood between me and its opponent, growling.

"W-W-What the hell!? Rocky charge it and use your horn!" The pokemon lowered its head and charged.

"Azrael dodge!" I yelled and he jumped to the right, as if he were weaving between trees. His maneuver worked almost perfectly except that he was still a clumsy Gible. He juked and bumped into the side of Rocky and knocked both of them off balance. I stomped twice and Azrael submerged.

"Rocky, move around! Don't stand still for it to hit you!" The boy was sweating and I could see his worried face from thirty feet away. It made me feel good to see him in such a way. _Isn't karma a bitch?_ As fast as the dense pokemon could move around, it was still a heavy rock. It couldn't move that fast and Azrael was quick. He was accurate as well, erupting underneath the Rhyhorn and tearing into its stomach.

"Azrael, yield!" I yelled. I knew he wouldn't listen, being in a blood rage, so I returned him before he killed the Rhyhorn and released him beside me, placing a hand on his spiracle. I also released Gilles and told him to disappear. The boy had returned his rock pokemon at the same time and was looking at me with a glare.

"You bastard," he snarled.

"I suggest you get out of here before I change my mind about calling the rangers," I said. He ran past me down a trail as I took out my bow and notched an arrow. "Now, Gilles!" I yelled and he appeared in front of the boy, scaring him still in his tracks, and forcing him to turn around. He saw me standing forty feet away with my bow leveled. He also saw the arrow leave and embed itself in his right thigh.

He screamed and crumpled to the ground, holding his leg. I walked over to him, dialing the contact number for the forest rangers on my PokeDex. I gave them the ID number on my PokeDex which they could use to find me via GPS, and then I said to the boy, "Lying is a horrible habit, don't you think? You're lucky I don't recall your Scyther and have Gilles finish the job, after it threatened me. But I don't think you'll be seeing your bug again for a long time after this. Maybe you will rethink how you choose to live your life after this. Also, I believe you owe me half of your cash for losing the pokemon battle." I took his pack, found his wallet, and took half of the money, before returning his gear.

At that point, I pressed down on the switch on the arrow and it collapsed into its shell form, ripping itself out of the boy's leg. I looked at Gilles, who was cackling at the pain the boy was going through. His giggling grew hysterical when the arrow was removed. On the one hand, Gilles was amazing at causing terror in other creatures, and on the other hand, he could be downright creepy.

When the ranger arrived, dismounting from his Pidgeotto, I explained that the boy had been stealing from my campsite when I caught him. He had sent his Scyther to attack me and my pokemon had defended me. My Haunter stabbed the boy through the leg with his claw while the Scyther approached me. We then had a pokemon battle in which I won.

The ranger checked the boy's PokeDex. His name was Joey Gavern and he had a history of petty crime in the area. When they checked my PokeDex, they found no criminal record, and I had only just received the PokeDex a week prior. The reports of young trainers being stripped of their belongings had gone back to that year's graduation week. The final and most significant piece of evidence that implicated Joey was what the ranger found in his backpack. They found the belongings of a kid who was robbed the previous day. The kid's name was written on the objects and the kid's ID was in his wallet, in Joey's bag.

Needless to say, I was given no punishment for my actions. Joey was taken away and I returned to my campsite. I cooked the Bidoof with Azrael's help, retrieved my buried backpack, and realized that spices probably would have been a wise thing to bring along, though I didn't have the room in my bag for excess luxuries.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

My first night in Viridian Forest was a reality check. The fear a trainer learns to cope with, which no one really knows about aside from the actual trainers, was the fear of not knowing what lurked in the dark around you. The night was as full of noises as during daytime and I couldn't see what made the noises. I had my little fire, my dragon, and my ghost to help me feel safe. Although I never knew if a carnivore would startle me in the middle of the night.

The nights were also cold. During summer, I experienced cold nights that left me shivering in my sleeping bag next to the fire. By the end of summer and by the time I left the forest, I had a new appreciation of the wilderness, as well as a developed toughness in attitude towards it.

I was able to sustain my pokemon and myself on our daily hunting expeditions. We learned how to survive in the wild without having a house to go back to. We moved around a lot for a couple reasons. The first is that we didn't want to develop a tasty scent in one place for carnivorous pokemon to track. The second reason is that we had become incredibly lost. The path had overgrown to the point where it blended in perfectly with the rest of the forest and I inevitably wandered from the actual path.

For the most part, though, I had no problem with being lost. It allowed my pokemon and me to grow stronger. We had daily training in rough environments and struggled to bring down larger and hardier prey than Pidgey and Rattata. Azrael became tougher and able to break through the tree roots while digging. His attacks were growing stronger as he practiced on the ample trees and wildlife.

Gilles was quickly becoming a master at ambushing prey. He utilized an almost artful approach in shock and awe tactics. He used so many tactics to stun, frighten, or surprise his prey. It was amazing to watch his ingenuity, and I would definitely use his talents in battle. Both he and Azrael were helping each other become much quicker and tougher, and I was putting on some muscle weight as well. With my participation in our training and my high-protein diet (hunted pokemon), I was in great shape.

During our first week of being lost in the wilderness, we had many different experiences. Beyond hunting different types of pokemon and occasionally having to fight them when they turned out to be stronger than we predicted, we had experiences that humbled us to the wilds and opened our eyes to the importance of knowing the terrain.

During one such occasion, we had found a meadow with tall grass and many flowers. The sun was able to shine through in that area, which was a pleasant respite from the gloomy dark atmosphere we were growing accustomed to. As soon as we trekked into the field, we scattered a group of Sunkern that were sunbathing in the light. The Sunkern did not cause problems; what did was the Sunflora which they were gathered near. The flower pokemon immediately extended its body to its full height, which was about four feet tall.

I immediately recognized its posture as an aggressive and protective gesture. Its leaves flattened out and hardened. My eyes widened and I dived backwards, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp leaves that flew where I was just standing. "Let's get out of here!" I yelled to my pokemon, knowing that if we stayed long, more Sunflora might join in to protect their kernel offspring. I scrambled up and ran to the closest tree line, dodging hardened leaves that embedded themselves in the trees around me. One managed to slice me across my left tricep, leaving a bloody cut which scarred.

Gilles had gone incorporeal so he was in no danger of being critically hit. Azrael followed me, using himself as an honorable shield. Later, after we had run a safe distance away, I had to pull out five hardened leaves from Azrael's back, which he did not enjoy. To find out how hurt he was, I returned him briefly to see his health at 65%. Not bad for taking five razor leaves from a pissed off flower. That experience taught me a little about surveillance and knowing the terrain.

Another experience we learned from was recognizing signs in the environment. When spider webs start becoming thicker and more numerous, it should tell you a colony is being approached. When we stumbled into a Spinarak colony, we had to fight our way out.

I, with my brilliant observational skills and wonderful acrobatics skills, tripped and rolled down a fairly steep hill, hitting several small saplings and disturbing numerous webs. When I rose from where I had stopped, I could hear the chittering and pattering of many arachnids approaching my position. Hundreds of foot-tall spiders crawled out of the trees, illuminated by my flashlight and Azrael's fire. We ran, knowing we were outnumbered.

Azrael was able to slow them down slightly by completely knocking over large trees. He accomplished that by burrowing underneath the tree and clearing out the roots on a single side of it. The Spinarak simply crawled over the downed tree and pursued me. "Gilles! Try to slow them down! Don't try to affect their minds though! Their collective intelligence will overpower yours!" Gilles then proceeded to blink in and out of their ranks, stabbing them through the tops of their carapaces.

Azrael then surged past me and burrowed under a tree, uprooting a side of it and I was barely able to run under it before it hit the ground. I looked behind me to see Azrael lighting it on fire. "Good thinking, Azrael!" A few times, I would get hit with a flung web and Gilles or Azrael would quickly cut me out of it with their claws. Whenever Azrael was hit with webs, Gilles would aid him to free him quickly.

I ran for longer than I can remember. Azrael had caught up to me and I returned him when I saw him starting to lag behind from exhaustion. Gilles had also caught up, floating through the air as a dark mass with bright eyes. I ran until I reached a stream, and then I hopped over it and followed it down about another mile before resting. I released Azrael and said, while heaving, "Good job both of you. Amazing work. Azrael, that was brilliant with lighting the tree on fire. And Gilles, you must have taken out twenty of those monsters!"

My words made Azrael coo with delight and Gilles cackle maniacally while doing barrel rolls in the air. We made camp there for the night and I spent most of it removing the sticky webbing that clung to my jeans and shirt. I also removed much of it from Azrael, though a quick burrow beneath the ground removed most of it. Know your terrain!

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Two weeks in, we had another memorable experience. The experience was a good memory, though. It was dark out and Azrael was burrowing a circle around our campsite when I heard a commotion at the outskirts of the campsite. Azrael had emerged, mid-marking, and was shaking his head wildly and screeching. I ran over to him as quickly as I could with Gilles trailing behind.

When I approached him, I saw that there was a gray mass on his face and he couldn't reach up to it with his stubby arms. I yelled, "Azrael, stand still so I can help!" He shook around for a couple more seconds before becoming still. He was still twitching and angry as I walked up to inspect. I realized that the mass was actually a pokemon. Gilles had begun laughing hysterically, not helping the situation. As I tried to pry it off, it let off a loud REEE-EEERRR REEEEEE screech and dug its claws dug deeper into Azrael's snout.

"Azrael, I'm going to recall you for a second so that it has nothing to hold onto. Gilles, mean face when I do," I ordered. I recalled Azrael and the bug dropped from the air. Gilles immediately froze it in fear with a terrifying look. I released Azrael behind me and then I ran up to the insect and punted it into a tree. It fell down, stunned, and I took out my PokeDex to scan it since I didn't know what pokemon it was.

My PokeDex recognized the bug as a Nincada. It also informed me that the Nincada would evolve into a Ninjask, which I did have knowledge of. I quickly made up my mind and retrieved one of my pokeballs. While it was still stunned, I threw my pokeball at it and it disappeared in a flash of light. The ball wiggled for ten seconds before coming to a halt.

I picked up the ball and smirked. "I guess this means you should be careful while digging," I laughed at Azrael. Gilles laughed hysterically at the jibe. Azrael then turned up his snout and waltzed back to the campsite, leaving the perimeter unfinished. _Oh well_. I finished up his job, knowing I deserved it for making fun of him. My work was not nearly as well-done as his, but it sent the message adequately enough.

I returned to the camp and inspected the ball. The ball said the Nincada was level 10 and had a broken leg with 75% health remaining. _I must have REALLY kicked it hard._ The ball also told me it was female. As I thought about it, I came up with a name suitable for a Ninjask. I had watched a few ninja movies at home, and one which involved a female assassin hunting down her victims expertly and efficiently stuck out to me. The ninja's name was Raeda and that was what I was going to call my new Nincada.

I released Raeda, expecting her to attack me like Azrael and Gilles had when I first caught them. I was surprised when it just sat there and looked at me. She was about a foot tall and about two and a half feet long. It also looked at my other two pokemon, showing fear when it looked at Gilles. "Well, Raeda, welcome to your new team," I said with a smile. "Raeda, this is Azrael and that is Gilles. Don't worry, we won't hurt you. You are one of us now." She did not show any signs of understanding but I approached her anyway, pokeball at the ready.

When I stood five feet from her, she leapt up towards my face and ended up in her pokeball. _Well, that was to be expected._ I released her again ten feet away. "Don't attack me, Raeda. You will end up in here," I pointed to her pokeball. She chittered and I hoped that that was a gesture of understanding. "Now stay still while I check your leg," I pointed at her leg and approached.

This time, she didn't move and I kneeled down to inspect her leg. When my face was close enough, she leapt again, attaching herself to my face. I screamed some expletives and fell back trying to claw her off. I took her pokeball and returned her to ten feet away.

I massaged my face and noticed there were no scratches, bite marks, burns, or puncture wounds. That confused me. She had clawed into Azrael's face, but not mine. "Do not attack me, Raeda!" I sternly ordered while pointing at her ball. "Now stay still. You are making your injury worse." I approached her again and held the ball at the ready.

When I reached her, she didn't move. I took out a regular health potion and sprayed her broken leg. Watching the potions work is a fascinating process. I watched the liquid catalyze the healing process and force the carapace to meld back together. As soon as it finished, she chittered… happily? She then leapt onto my face again.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

After a month of bathing in streams, washing my clothes in the streams without soap, and living from the land, I decided I wanted to get back to civilization. My knife and hatchet were dulling, the weather was getting colder, and I was getting a little homesick. The problem was that I was lost. I looked at my pokemon and informed them of my desire to return home for a small time.

None of them seemed to mind. Azrael, who had grown another foot and a half taller, was tearing away at a Stantler carcass. I noticed his head was extending further out, as if he was growing a neck and his arms were growing longer. Stantler had become significantly easier to hunt with Gilles around. He could cloud their psychic abilities, disabling them and keeping me or Azrael from taking a trip into a hallucinated hell. Gilles' shadowy form, I noticed, was much more condensed then when I had caught him. Lastly, Raeda, who had been very easy to train despite her quickly-developed attachment issues, which were characterized by her jumping to my face, was making progress. She had grown a little and I had trained her to use her different capabilities on command.

I had Raeda training much like I had Azrael training at the beginning. I had her practicing her scratches on trees, performing scurrying drills alongside her running comrades, and honing her burrowing abilities with Azrael. Furthermore, I had her practice her hardening skills while draining the life of the local fauna as Gilles took some suppressed swings at her. I even had Azrael dodging her as she tried to jump onto his face.

I was luckily able to teach Raeda not to jump onto my face, which I had learned was a show of affection, but she would still cling to my leg. Overall, she was a lovely addition to our group.

We packed up camp and started wandering south. I had the help of a compass installed in the base of my hunting knife. It was cold in the shade of the trees and I needed to find somewhere to purchase a jacket at the very least. It would be devastating to get sick while lost in an enormous forest with no medication.

After three days of traveling south, we came across a clearing where two trainers were battling. They even had a small crowd watching. I watched a Metapod take hit after hit from an Electrike who apparently hadn't developed its electricity moves. The Metapod actually tired the Electrike out and then began tackling it ruthlessly before knocking it out. I could see exchanges of money as betting paid off for some.

The loser paid the Metapod owner and left with his head hanging. I noticed the small crowd was actually a traveling group as they all walked toward the tree line together. I ran over, recalling my pokemon so that I wouldn't startle anyone. They noticed me and stopped. I needed to know where the path was.

I stopped in front of them and said, "Hi everyone. I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the road." I was informed that they were lost as well and then bid them farewell and good luck. When they had cleared out, I noticed a girl remaining in the clearing with me. She had baggy cargo pants, boots, and a dark jacket covering a red shirt. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytatail and her attractive face held green eyes.

"I suppose you're not with that group," I said.

"Nope. I'm actually a little lost, myself, but I couldn't stand those people. Just a bunch of annoying amateurs who won't shut up about their romantic exploits," she replied.

"Amateurs, eh? I suppose you think you're better than them?" I asked.

"…Maybe," she replied with a small grin. "You seem a little older than the other trainers here. How many badges do you have?" she asked curiously.

"Hmm I don't think I want to tell you," I said, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"Hmm. Alright let's battle!" she announced and backed up.

I was taken aback by her sudden shift but agreed thinking, _Why not? More money for me and experience for my pokemon_. I backed up and took out Raeda's ball. No need to start out with my best. I released Raeda in front of me and the girl released a Ledyba.

"Raeda, harden!" I yelled.

"Lady, reflect!" she yelled.

"Leech life!" I yelled.

"Light screen!" she yelled.

I watched as the Ledyba flew far above Raeda. "Lady, silver wind!" my opponent yelled, and the Ledyba hovered where it was, getting hurt by Raeda's constant leeching which looked like a green aura running from the Ledyba to Raeda. The air around the Ledyba swirled into a silver mist and lanced out at Raeda, whose harden did not protect her from the non-physical attack.

Raeda shuddered from the attack and continued trying to leech life from the Ledyba who was protected by the light shield. "Stay in there Raeda!" I tried to motivate her, but I was beginning to think that Raeda was outmatched.

"Lady, silver wind again!" the girl yelled with a dangerous grin across her face. With two more silvery barrages, Raeda passed out. The Ledyba had stayed out of Raeda's physical attack range and bypassed Raeda's physical toughness to beat her.

I returned Raeda with a curse and released my Haunter, saying, "C'mon Gilles, get in close and rip her apart." The girl seemed impressed that I had a second tier evolved pokemon but still held her smile. "Alright, Gilles, freeze her in place with your mean face and get in close!" I ordered.

"Silver wind, Lady," the girl returned. However, the Ledyba was too slow so it got caught in Gilles' terrifying gaze. Gilles then approached the Ledyba, focusing the look more intensely as he grew near. He was able to get in close enough for me to yell, "Lick her wings!" I saw the girls smile fade into a look of concern as Gilles nearly disintegrated the Ledyba's wings with his acidic tongue.

The bug pokemon fell from the air and Gilles followed. As soon as it hit the grass, Gilles scratched it hard with his shadowy claws. The girl gave a little pout as she returned the pokemon. She then sent out her next pokemon, a purple sheep standing on two legs and about four feet tall. It was the second evolution of Mareep, Flaaffy.

"Alright, Larry, get in there and take that Haunter down!" ordered the girl.

"Dodge the electricity, Gilles. You can now try to hypnotize," I told Gilles. He immediately tried to hypnotize the Flaaffy and was rewarded when it stood still, gazing at Gilles hollowly. Gilles then rushed the sheep pokemon and raked his claws across the Flaaffy's face.

That woke the pokemon up from its stupor and girl shouted, "Thunderwave!" While Gilles was in close, he could not dodge the wave. The Flaaffy's tail sparked and let out a burst of electricity that hit Gilles, stunning him in mid-air. The Flaaffy then bounded away. _Crap_.

"Try to shake it off! Hypnotize it again!" I told my incapacitated ghost. I could see him struggling in the air, trying to move.

"Charge up, Larry!" shouted the girl. The Flaaffy's tail started pulsing while it drew in energy. Gilles hypnotized it once again, interrupting the charging process. He floated over to the Flaaffy, visibly straining. As soon as he was close enough, I ordered him to attack the orb on its tail. I saw him wind up to scratch the tail but his paralysis forced his swing to slow down.

Gilles ended up hitting the orb but with little force. It was enough force to wake the stunned sheep, though, and the girl yelled, "Thunderbolt, NOW!" The Flaaffy's tail, which had stored more energy than I had judged, let out a powerful bolt of lightning into Gilles' touching hand. For a split-second, I saw Gilles in polar opposite colors as he let out a mixed-pitched scream and collapsed in a shadowy mass on the grass. _That's not good. _I was quickly becoming angry because I knew my pokemon were hurt. I quickly recalled him, holding back my rage because I knew the girl was doing exactly as she should be; fighting with her pokemon to overcome challenges, such as myself.

"Alright, I'm going to warn you right now. I used to feed my last pokemon Mareep…" I said nervously. "He might get a little overzealous."

The girl thought for a moment for saying, "Larry can hold his own. If your pokemon gets out of hand, return it and I'll return mine before anything bad happens. Thanks for the warning. But what the hell kind of pokemon did you have to feed Mareep to?" She had a look of incredulity.

"Azrael." I released my dragon in front of me and I could see the girl visibly recoil. Azrael was almost eight feet tall by then. "Alright Azrael, that is not food. We're still fighting the Flaaffy but don't try to eat it. Now burrow and –" Azrael had taken off towards the Flaaffy. The girl apparently thought he could hold his ground because she did not recall him.

"Azrael!" I yelled.

The girl commanded her sheep to charge up again and sent a bolt of lightning at Azrael. The lightning simply bounced off his scales. He had grown accustomed to lightning shocks when his diet mainly consisted of electric sheep. Amid more arcs of lightning dancing off of his scales, he charged the Flaaffy and leapt onto it.

He tore into the Flaaffy's back, crushing it at the same time with his weight. Both of the pokemon immediately disappeared into their pokeballs. "Thanks, again, for the warning," the girl said with a frown. "I guess it's time to use my starter now. You are a lot tougher than any other trainers I've fought here." I released Azrael next to me and jabbed him in the spiracle. She took out a normal pokeball and released a small pokemon.

It was a two-foot tall Roselia with one red flower and one pink flower. "Ok Kara, you know what to do first," the girl said as she pointed at Azrael. I honestly did not take the little flower-holding nymph seriously. It looked so frail that I underestimated its abilities. However, that did not mean I chose to go easy on it.

"Azrael, get close and breathe fire on it!" I commanded. Azrael ran towards the flower pokemon. The Roselia's flower petals broke off, circled around her quickly before flinging into Azrael's legs. This caused him to trip and fall, skidding along the dirt and grass with his momentum. It then showered Azrael with a cloud of spores, which immediately started impeding his movement capabilities. She then shot thorns from underneath her flowered hands, which imbedded themselves in Azrael's face before dancing away.

That trifecta attack happened in quick succession, leaving me unable to react quickly enough. "Azrael, try to fight through it!" I yelled. It was wise of her to have a beginning move set already established. Azrael groaned and lifted himself up from the ground. _Time to switch things up._ "Kick up the dirt around you!"

Azrael started stomping, making the dirt around him rise unnaturally. It then began to swirl around him, clouding the Roselia's view. "Now, throw some it at her!" Jets of sand were flung from the tiny sandstorm, hitting the Roselia occasionally despite her attempts to evade them.

"Kara, giga drain!" shouted my opponent. The Roselia's flowers opened up wide and started sucking energy from Azrael, who was having a difficult time making his way over to her. "Kara, again!" She continued trying to sap Azrael's strength but started becoming less and less accurate, due to the sand constantly irritating her eyes.

"Alright, Azrael, get close to her now and burn her!" I yelled, sensing a momentary advantage. In a burst of strength and perseverance, Azrael rushed forth from his storm, despite the spores plaguing his body, and spewed a small flame onto the flower pokemon. The flame was much smaller than it should have been. His eyes were bloodshot and I could see some veins showing from his arms that were purple. I quickly realized that the thorns were poisoned.

The flower-holding grass pokemon danced away, despite the burn she sustained, releasing more spores as she went. The spores added onto Azrael and she released more magically directed leaves into Azrael's legs. Azrael fell again and rose to his feet. He was tough and wouldn't go down easily.

"Azrael, create another sandstorm!"

"Kara, finish him!"

The Roselia's flower petals opened up toward the light coming down into the clearing and I could see her taking in energy from the sun's rays. _Oh shit!_ "Azrael, burrow now!" I screamed, but it was too late. The energy she had taken in was released right into the middle of the swirling sand in a beam of light. The sand fell and Azrael was crouched on the ground, breathing heavily, but still standing.

I was immensely proud that he was able to withstand that solar beam, and apparently my opponent was awed as well. "Magic leaves, Kara," she said. I didn't want Azrael to try burrowing for an attack because of the spores limiting his movement, but he needed to get away from her long-range attacks.

I didn't have the chance to tell him to burrow with two stomps because leaves hit him multiple times, again. This time he slumped over and passed out. I recalled him and fought back a wave of fury. She had beaten me fair and square but she had hurt all of my pokemon. It was one of the most painful experiences I had faced. I felt guilty for allowing them to get beaten. I didn't know what to do with myself. I would have to wait for my pokemon to regain consciousness and protect them while they were unconscious. They would never regain consciousness inside their pokeballs so I would have to expose their helpless bodies to the wild while they healed naturally.

I was hanging my head and mulling over what I had to do when the girl came over and said, "That was a great battle! I've never had such a hard time beating anyone, except gym leaders."

"Wait, you've earned badges already?" I asked, incredulously.

"Yep, two of 'em so far. Why? Haven't you yet?" she replied with a confused look on her face. She also showed me two badges pinned on a sash.

"I have not. I've been training in this forest so that I'll be ready for the gym leaders. If you've received two badges already, why are you here? You should be near Vermillion City by now," I said. The Vermillion City gym was the third gym in the circuit so it was confusing as to why she was in Viridian Forest.

"Believe me; you don't need to train any more to beat the first gym leader. And I'm not from Kanto. I flew in from Hoenn to complete this circuit. These two badges are from the first two gyms in the Hoenn League," she said proudly.

"That just creates more questions," I said with a sigh. "Where did you fly in to?" I asked.

"I flew into Viridian City. My sister lives there with her Kanto husband. I visited for a while before heading into the forest," she informed me. "Also, my name is Sheila. It's nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand and I shook it, while reflecting the sentiment.

"Well, if you're headed to Pewter City to take on the first gym leader, we can travel together; at least for a little while. Your pokemon are strong and you don't have a badge yet so maybe we can teach each other some new techniques. Oh, you also owe me half your money for that loss," she said cheerfully.

I resentfully pulled out my money and counted out 1700Pb for the loss. "Well, here's the thing: I'm actually heading back to Viridian to restock my supplies and to show my parents that I haven't gotten eaten yet. I've been out here for a month now so I'm running low on supplies."

The girl thought for a few moments and said, "Well I'm going to come with you!" She smiled brightly and widely and then added, "I left three days ago so it would be a little out the way for me, but I would love the opportunity to train with a competent trainer. Plus, I can check in again with my sister."

I shrugged, "Alright, maybe I can learn some new battle techniques. But we have to stay here for the night so that my pokemon can at least regain consciousness."

"Mine as well," she said with a bit of a pout. So, you know the way out right?"

I shook my head with a small chuckle and started setting up camp.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Author's Note:

So now the main character has a travel buddy. I wonder what fun-filled adventures and shenanigans lay ahead. I want to make a note, in case it isn't clear, that this story is written from the narrator's anecdotal perspective; there will be moments of humorous reflection, like in the previous chapter when the narrator commented sarcastically on his own observational skills, and vanity. Also, I will now be moving my Author's notes section to the end of the chapter so that I can comment on the chapter after I've written it. I also might choose to not write an author's note. Onwards!

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"Get your dragon away from Larry! Sheila shrieked as Azrael tried to sneak closer to the resting Flaaffy. He had a hungry look in his eyes. I returned him and jabbed him in the spiracle, saying, "Azrael, he is NOT food. Do not attack him unless I tell you to."

Sheila was holding her Flaaffy close and scowling at Azrael. "That thing needs to be controlled! Larry is no _lizard's_ meal!" she said scowling.

"Hey! Azrael is a powerful, magnificent creature. Don't call him a lizard!" I yelled back.

"So powerful he lost to a two foot pokemon holding flowers," she said as she winked at Kara.

"Watch it. I will let him loose and let him attack Larry," I threatened.

"You wouldn't!" she cried back.

"Try me!" I countered. She didn't reply, and instead sat there pouting. That was the tone of many of our interactions. I had used my second to last potion on Azrael and he had started attempting to eat the electric sheep as soon as he regained the ability to walk, after regaining consciousness. In the end, I had to stay beside Azrael, holding my hand on his spiracle to keep him civil.

Azrael, beyond trying to eat Larry, showed obvious signs of resentment towards Kara. Gilles was also having fun playing pranks on the other pokemon and on Sheila, much to her chagrin. At least Raeda and everyone else had been getting along well with Raeda making friends with Lady.

During our first night, caring for our battle-worn pokemon next to the fire, Sheila and I told each other as much of our backgrounds as we were comfortable talking about. I was curious about that peppy girl lost in Viridian Forest with two gym badges and she was curious about the mysterious, ruggedly handsome, and talented boy with no badges whom she almost lost to.

I told her of my father's business, how I came to catch Azrael, and my other pokemon, and my sports history. I left out the details of my self-education in the absence of my parent's care. She seemed impressed when I told her about my overpowering of Azrael but she seemed horrified at my training methods.

Sheila had grown up in Mauville City in the Hoenn region. Her sister Elaina had been a pokemon trainer six years before her and had won seven badges in the Hoenn League. Elaina retired after losing two of her five pokemon in the Mossdeep City gym battle. After her two pokemon were slain in the battle, she forfeited and traveled to Kanto, where she met the man she was now married to, Charles. Despite Elaina's tragic experience, she helped to convince her parents to let Sheila join the Hoenn League. In the end, Elaina gave Sheila her starter one month before Sheila graduated.

Sheila started as a trainer immediately after graduating, which in Hoenn was one month before graduation in Kanto. She traveled to Rustboro to easily beat the rock type gym leader with her grass starter. Sheila's father attended her gym battle and awarded her with a Mareep when the leader declared her victorious. During that battle, Kara had evolved and soon afterward, she caught Lady outside the city.

With that team, she barely made it through the Dewford gym battle. She learned to utilize Larry's paralyzing shocks and Kara's paralyzing spores to slow down the fighting type pokemon and defeat them at a distance. After that battle was when problems arose. You see, the problem was that the electric type gym leader of Mauville, Sheila's home city, was her father. Furthermore, the following gym in the Hoenn League is fire type, extremely strong against two-thirds of her team, so she needed practice.

She did not want to battle her father yet, for he was most adamant that his baby girl not become a pokemon trainer in the first place. He would show no mercy in trying to change her mind and bring her home. He gave his daughter the offspring of his prized starter, Ampharos, to defend her and as an attempt to ameliorate their relationship after threatening to disown her if she left. It explained why Larry's lighting was so powerful.

Even when Sheila eventually felt ready to challenge her father, she would still face a formidable challenge. When a trainer challenges a gym leader after defeating the first gym leader in the League, he or she would face a two-phase battle. The first phase consisted of a battle with two or three League standard pokemon. In the second phase, after evaluating the trainer's performance, the gym leader would use one or two pokemon above the skill level of the trainer's pokemon.

Sheila knew her father's original team but they were much higher than the League standard as the third gym in the circuit. That meant that she would be battling gym-raised pokemon whom she was not familiar with. However, those gym-raised pokemon were generally bred from the leader's League team.

Sheila and I were able reach a common ground with our mutual parental lack of support for training. After reaching that level of mutual respect, we set off in the morning, heading south. Our little rebellious duo traveled at a slower speed than usual, due to our pokemons' battle-induced weariness and injury. Although pokemon naturally heal very quickly, they hadn't fully recovered by the time we stopped for the night the next day. Due to their injury, I refrained from instituting our daily training exercises the morning after our battle.

During our trek through the forest, Sheila and I had an argument over a slight difference of opinion, when it came to feeding our pokemon. Sheila became irate when I shot a Hoothoot with my bow, intending to eat it for lunch. She had not noticed me draw my bow and only took notice when I let the arrow fly.

"What was that! Why did you just kill that bird!? WHY?" she yelled at me.

"I intend to eat today. Why are you yelling at me?" I said, aghast at her sudden outburst.

"You can't just go around killing everything! That was just a helpless creature trying to live its life. Now it will never live again. This is murder!" she accused, pointing a finger at the corpse on the ground.

The "corpse" suddenly rose from the ground, flapping its wings erratically. Sheila gasped and ran over to help it. Almost immediately she screamed and rounded at me, after realizing it was my invisible Haunter using it as a marionette and making terrible hooting imitations. As soon as she screamed, Gilles laughed manically and threw it over to me, making me chuckle a little bit at the trickster's prank. It was a little funnier when I wasn't on the butt end of the joke, and maybe I just have a more morbid sense of humor than most people.

"HOW CAN YOU LAUGH AT THAT!?" she screeched at me. "That is SO wrong! You and your pokemon have problems."

I crossed my arms. "Look, think what you want, but I've been living off hunted pokemon for a month, and with the exception of Raeda, my pokemon have been as well. If you don't like the reality that creatures, human or not, eat other creatures, then you need a reality check. What do you feed yours" I said flatly. I paused as I looked at her flower nymph, her bug, and her sheep, realizing that they did not need meat.

"Obviously not other pokemon," she said crossly. "Kara just needs sunshine, Larry eats grass, and Lady eats plants and tiny insects. I, personally, eat power bars," she said showing an entire pouch of her backpack filled to the brim with protein/calorie bars. "I don't need to harm other pokemon except out of self-defense or in a trainer battle," she said, with an air of self-righteousness.

"Well look at my team!" I yelled. "I have two predators and I, personally, like the taste of meat. I also recognize my position in nature with regards to other animals. I will not feel guilty for hunting my food." I had picked up the Hoothoot, pulled out the arrow, and strung it by its feet on my strand of rope.

"Ugh, you're so mean! Well don't do that in front of me. I feel bad for them," she said, pouting.

"Yeah… I'll do that," I said sarcastically. "I'll tell you to close your eyes. I'm not letting supper get away just because you are traveling with me."

Her pout intensified. "You are so MEAN!" At that moment, an invisible Gilles carried a Rattata next to Sheila, making more horribly-executed imitations. Sheila shrieked and ran through the forest while Gilles, Azrael, and I laughed at Gilles' macabre and sick sense of humor.

After catching up to Sheila and calming her down with apologies, we were able to resume our journey. At least we both knew how the other viewed the food chain. I still allowed Azrael and Gilles to hunt in the manner they were used to, which came as a distress to Sheila. She believed that Gilles' hunting methods were too cruel and she believed that I was too cruel for allowing him to hunt that way.

In a touch of brilliance, I found a way to keep an eye on Azrael while we traveled which did not require me to constantly observe him. I attached Raeda to his back and let her ride there if she agreed to screech any time Azrael made a move on Larry. Since Raeda was a ground type mix, she could hang on to Azrael if he burrowed. This gave me peace of mind and allowed me to reflect on my pokemons' shortcomings in our last battle.

Raeda performed well, but her most effective attacks were close-up melee attacks. She needed no change in training, I thought. Gilles had a horrible weakness. His training exercises consisted of him dodging and developing his speed, reflexes, and mental abilities; he rarely had to withstand a hit. As a result, he was not very tough, and the full force of a gym leader-bred pokemon's lightning bolt was able to take him out easily. We would have to work on that. I scowled, as the thought of telling my pokemon to intentionally allow himself to get hurt made me nervous.

Azrael really impressed me. Unfortunately, he was lacking in the ability to attack at a distance. I felt the only way to help him in the short run would be sprinting and weighted sprinting exercises. It was either that, or purchase technical machines to teach him ranged attacks. It was easy to teach a pokemon certain techniques with TM's, which were small CD's inserted into the PokeDex. The trainer would link the occupied pokeball with the PokeDex, imparting a rudimentary knowledge of the technique upon the pokemon inside the ball. That would be the easiest and most expensive method of solving distance problems.

Over the past month, I had accrued a plethora of valuable pokemon body parts through hunting. Antlers, furs, claws, and feathers were among the spoils that could be sold for a profit. My earnings could be put towards TM's or translations devices. It really depended on how much I made and how much I was comfortable spending.

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After we had stopped to make camp after our first day of traveling south, I decided my pokemon were healthy enough to exercise. They escaped morning and afternoon training, but they would not skip an entire day of practice. That evening, in the last hours of shaded sunlight, I was performing sprinting exercises with Azrael and making Raeda practice her cutting exercises on Gilles when misfortune befell us.

Sheila had chosen not to participate in the drills; she was not as disciplined or as vigilant as we. She was playing with her pokemon, tickling Kara and jumping around with Larry as Lady buzzed around their heads, when a Teddiursa stumbled out of the woods and into our campsite.

It had emerged on the far side of the campsite near Sheila and her pokemon; it was about one hundred feet from where my pokemon and I were exercising. Due to my concentration on training with my pokemon, I did not notice the cub until I heard a deep roar and Sheila screaming. When I looked over, there was a mother Ursaring emerging from the woods, heading straight for Sheila.

I yelled for my pokemon to stop as the Ursaring charged Sheila. Just as the mother bear reached Sheila, Larry rammed Sheila from the side, knocking her out of the way. Sheila had narrowly avoided being mauled but Larry was caught in the crossfire, bearing the full force of the mother's attack.

"Team! Help them! Azrael, take Raeda and burrow," I ordered, stomping the ground twice. "Gilles, hide and hypnotize the Ursa!" My pokemon sprang into action. Raeda leapt onto Azrael's back as he dove into the ground. Gilles dissipated as he sped towards the hulking pokemon.

I heard Larry bleating, the Ursaring snarling, and Sheila screaming. "LARRY!" shrieked Sheila, as she struggled to find his pokeball. I saw a flurry of claws, wool, and blood as the Ursaring tore into Larry. I ran to find my bow and arrow cartridges, sliding my foot on the ground first to alert Azrael to hold.

As I ran, I saw Lady dive-bomb punch the Ursaring and retreat into the air, drawing a little blood in its masses of fur. Roselia loosed magic leaves and hit the Ursaring's paws, preventing it from hitting Lady as she retreated. They both worked together, despite the fact that Sheila was not giving orders in her panic. She had dived onto her backpack, rummaged around for a couple seconds before grabbing Larry's pokeball and returning him. I noticed a bloody limb remaining on the grass where he previously laid.

This was becoming very bad very fast. I kept my emotions as even as possible as I focused on my task. Sheila was backpedaling from the bear fast, but her pokemon were keeping it occupied for the moment. "Sheila, tell your pokemon to move NOW!" I yelled. She did not respond to me, panicking and groaning in between sobs.

"Lady! Kara! MOVE!" I screamed. They heard me and backed off a couple feet, just before Gilles' face appeared in front of the Ursaring, absurdly large. He peered at the Ursaring, taking control and lulling it into a stunned, silent statue. "Sheila, tell Kara to unleash her spores!" I yelled over to her. She was crying and didn't acknowledge my order. "Sheila!" She was crying and clutching her pokeball. _Shit!_

In that short amount of time, the Ursaring, whose mind was set on one goal: protect by attacking, broke free from the hypnosis and swiped at the ghost. Her paws went through Gilles' face and she grew angrier. "Gilles, keep trying to keep it still! Kara!" I yelled, catching the Roselia's attention. "Please, slow it down with spores so it can't hurt Sheila," I pleaded, noting the tears streaming down Sheila's cheek as she peered at the pokeball's holographic panel.

Kara nodded and quickly, but cautiously, approached the rage-filled mass of fur. She stopped about ten feet away from the swinging bear. "Now, Gilles!" I yelled, and he intensified his gaze, stopping the bear once again. "Now, Kara! Hurry!" She started flinging clouds of spores onto the Ursaring's unmoving back. "Keep it up as long as you can, Kara! Gilles, make sure it doesn't hurt her!" I had reached my bow's carrying case and was unloading it as fast as I could.

My shouting must have finally affected Sheila because I heard her yell, "KARA! Get away from it, now!" I looked up in horror to see the Roselia reluctantly backing up in Sheila's direction. _Crap, it was time._ I stood up, holding my bow and two shells, and stomped the ground hard, and slid my foot forward in the direction of the entranced Ursaring. I followed it up with two stomps, telling Azrael to dive immediately following his attack.

I extended the arrow and notched it onto the bow, and shot. The arrow embedded itself in the Ursaring's side as I extended the next arrow and notched it. This time I waited, though the arrow woke the bear from its reverie. It turned to face me as a dragon erupted underneath it, easily as big as the Ursaring.

Azrael emerged with the Ursaring's right foot in his mouth, which was clamped down hard. The force of the blow knocked the mother bear off balance. I heard a sickening crunch and tearing, followed by a pained roar, as Azrael submerged again, leaving a dripping stump where the Ursaring's right foot had been. I then noticed a gray mass quickly crawling on the Ursaring's torso and making its way to the Ursaring's back.

The gray mass stopped right between the bear's shoulder blades and I saw it unleash a flurry of claws and the green aura of leech seed into the Ursaring's back. "Way to go, Raeda! Keep out of its reach!" I yelled in encouragement. I had my bow raised but I continued waiting for a clear shot.

I had an idea. "Gilles, get between us," I yelled. He responded by floating through the prone bear and positioning itself between it and me. "Now lick it and hide immediately!" Gilles licked the bear's haunch and disappeared but sustained a minor scratch as the bear swatted him weakly. My ploy worked.

The Ursaring rose and turned to attack Gilles. When it turned, hiding Raeda from my view, I shot my remaining arrow. It hit the bear in the chest. Unfortunately, the Ursaring charged through Gilles and at me; with three legs and spores plaguing its back. I took a step back in fright, seeing the hulking raging mass headed towards me quickly, oblivious to its pain. At the same time, I tried to stomp and slide my foot so that Azrael would come to my rescue, but that resulted in my tripping over my own feet and falling to the ground.

I stared in horror as time slowed down. The bear closed the distance fast, but my mind saw it happen as if time only passed at half-speed. I just saw saliva and blood flying from its mouth as it approached me. Its maw grew larger as it came closer; a cave full of stalactites and stalagmites dripping cave water, and my mind prepared itself for the inevitable fall into that jagged abyss. I could smell the dirt, sweat, and blood radiating from the bear and my vision went dark.

Suddenly, I was staring at the bear from behind, watching it run away with Raeda still on its back. I was sitting about thirty feet away and I blinked, confused. I looked around, shocked and unsure what was happening, and saw that my shadow extended all the way in front of the charging bear. It receded back to me instantaneously, and from it emerged Gilles. It looked as if he was holding onto the shadow with his claw and he let go before charging the Ursaring from behind.

The Ursaring had slid to a stop when it realized I disappeared from in front of it and was turning around when it met a face full of Gilles. Reality shifted back into focus and time sped back up to normal. I put what just happened out of my mind to think about at another time. I stood up, stomped my foot, and slid it towards the bear, who faltered for a second in front of the large Haunter face before renewing its charge.

I noticed its motions were slowing and becoming labored as the spores were finally starting to have an effect. Exposure to the wilderness and the many pokemon who could release spores was probably the reason it took so long for them to take effect. Then, in another spectacular show of subterranean combustion, Azrael exploded underneath the running Ursaring, tackling it to the ground.

The bear struggled to get up as I shouted, "Azrael, start scratching and keep it down! Gilles, come back to me! And Raeda, keep leeching!" The Ursaring, being double-teamed by a dragon and an energy-stealing bug, found it too difficult to get up. "Gilles scary face above it," I said menacingly.

Gilles laughed low and slowly as it flew to the pinned bear. I then noticed the cub running and growling towards its mothers back and yelled, "Wait, Gilles! Hypnotize the cub first, and then go to the mother." Gilles quickly diverted from his path and easily mentally pinned the cub in place before hovering in front of the Ursaring and cackling its mixed-pitch laugh while it attempted to scare the Ursaring in its final moments.

The Ursaring, after sustaining so much injury, finally slumped to the ground motionless. "Ok Azrael, Raeda, you can both stop now and come over here," I called. For the first time, Azrael stopped his attacking upon command and came over to me, filling me with some pride. Raeda, however, did not, so I ran over to the Ursaring's rear to find Raeda digging furiously.

"Raeda, Stop," I ordered. "It's finished!" Raeda stopped moving and then started shuddering violently. She then fell from the bear's back and hit the ground. I quickly and fearfully squatted down to see what was wrong with my little bug. She was swiftly hardening and curling up.

I was dumbfounded for a couple seconds before I realized what was happening. I then stood up and shifted my attention to assess the situation in the camp. Sheila was sitting on the grass, crying and hugging Lady and Kara. Gilles had gone back to the cub to mentally keep it in place, which he found easy.

I thought for a moment then walked over to the cub, kneeled down in front of it, and took out a pokeball. I pressed it into the cub's fur and watched it disappear in a burst of white light. It wiggled and shifted for a couple seconds before breaking apart and releasing an angry Ursaring cub. The pokeball had broken the hypnosis and it took a swing at me immediately. The little paw scratched me across the chest and left three lines of red through my shirt about three inches long across my left pectoral muscle.

Gilles quickly froze it in place again as I screamed and fell back. I had to tell Azrael to stop before he killed the cub in my defense. I stood up and walked over to the entranced cub and kicked it in the stomach, hard. I heard a crack and it groaned, woken from its hypnosis.

Gilles re-applied the hypnosis and I retrieved another pokeball. My second attempt at catching it succeeded and I immediately registered the new pokemon before packing it with the rest of my hunting trophies without checking its health. I did not plan on letting the Teddiursa out for a long time, feeling alright about that decision because it had been hypnotized into sleeping prior to its capture.

I then picked up the hardened mass that was Raeda and moved her away from the Ursaring corpse before walking over to the girl who was sobbing on the grass. "We need to get to a Pokemon Center. I don't know what this means," she cried. She enlarged her pokeball's holographic panel so that I could observe Larry's status. His health read 0% and there was a flashing message reading, _Critical condition! Seek immediate care. Profuse bleeding and loss of limb_.

"Larry is still alive, Sheila. The pokeball will keep him from bleeding out, so do not release him to check on him. But, yes, we need to get to a Pokemon Center soon. We will leave first thing in the morning," I said, trying to reassure her.

"The _morning_!? We need to go NOW!" she said, in her hysteria.

"It's not safe at night," I replied.

"I don't care. Larry needs help. We need to go now," Sheila sobbed.

I kneeled down in front of her and said, "I'm sorry Sheila, but if we travel at night, we might run into another nocturnal predator. We wouldn't be able to see it in the dark. I can't let you go wander the forest at night, and your pokemon would thank you for waiting. If you try to wander around without knowing your direction, you might end up losing another pokemon to another predator. In the morning, we will be able to see my compass and the terrain." I tried to look her in the eye but her gaze dropped.

Sheila started rocking back and forth saying, "We need to go now…" Her gaze held onto the grass in front her without registering what she was staring at.

I put my hand on her shoulder and said, looking her in the eyes, "We will leave in the morning. We will not stop until we reach a Pokemon Center or until we cannot see each other in darkness. Alright? Larry will be alright as long as you don't release him."

Sheila slowly nodded and then I walked over to my supplies to retrieve a water bottle. I offered it to Sheila while saying, "You need to sleep soon. I will stay awake for a while and keep watch." I then aided Sheila to her tent and coaxed her into her sleeping bag. Her small pokemon came in with her and snuggled up close to her. I left her there to recover from her shock with rest.

I zipped up her tent and retrieved my hunting knife from my belongings. I then went back to the Ursaring corpse and sat down beside it, looking at my pokemon. "Alright you two, I am extremely proud of you. Azrael, you are a terrifying subterranean force!" Azrael responded by shuffling in embarrassment. "Gilles, fantastic job with your hypnosis skills!" Gilles let out a joyful and creepy giggle.

"Now, Gilles, what the hell happened? How did you move me?" I had heard of ghost pokemon being able to utilize shadows to teleport short distances, but those abilities were very advanced and took a long time to develop. Gilles shrugged his shadowy shoulders and laughed.

"Could you do it again, Gilles?" I asked. Gilles nodded and concentrated. His shadow started extending but stopped after reaching a distance of a foot and a half. It then receded quickly. He shook his head. "That's alright. I am thankful that you managed to do it at the time. Maybe that's something we can work on developing so that you get behind an opponent instantly. For now, we are done with drills for the day; you both proved very effective and you both earned a rest. I'm going to skin this Ursaring and take its claws. When I'm done, we will have a feast of sorts. Could you both keep watch until then?"

They both perked up when I mentioned the feast and excitedly started patrolling the campsite. I had Raeda sitting in the grass about five feet away, so that I could see her. I brought some of the campfire over and started a new one next to the dead bear, so that I could see what I was doing in the rapidly darkening vicinity. I then set to work skinning the bear. The fur would catch a good price and I would use the money to do something special for Azrael, Gilles, and Raeda. If there was more money left over, I considered doing something nice for Sheila as well.

After about 45 minutes, the fire-lit glimmering darkness lit up in a brilliant flash of yellow light, centered on Raeda. It startled me at first but I watched her emerge from her shell as a significantly larger Ninjask. Her body's length had doubled and a half. After she clawed her way out of the husk, her transparent wings started fluttering, testing their strength, before picking up speed and lifting her lightweight body into the air.

Raeda hovered in the air for a few seconds, clicking her new pincers and enjoying the new airborne perspective, before zooming straight at me. Her speed was faster than I expected, though I knew Ninjask were some of the fastest pokemon alive. She had never traveled that fast, so she was not prepared for it. She slammed into my face, knocking me over and giving me a bloody nose and a cut lip.

When I shook off my surprise and sat up, she was on her back, stunned. I laughed, despite the unintentional battery, and picked her up. She was slightly heavier even though she was over double her original size. I then brought her into a big hug. Raeda chittered happily and I said, "I'm so proud of you, my little bug. Well, you're not so little anymore are you? You look so beautiful, too." Her happy chittering intensified. "Why don't you practice hovering right there so I can get a good look at you?"

Raeda happily buzzed into the air and I admired her new form. Her head had hardened into a shiny golden carapace that changed into deep black where her head met her body. There was an intricate spiral of black that traced patterns on her golden face. It reminded me of tribal artwork, and on her forehead, the pattern mixed into a circle. Her red eyes looked fiery due to the fire-lit atmosphere and her silver arms hid her deadly retracted claws.

"You look amazing, Raeda!" I said happily, patting her on the head. That caused her to dip lower and lower as my hand knocked her down slightly with each pat. She buzzed happily and started testing out her speed, almost disappearing from sight. I liked Ninjask because they were said to be so fast that they could seem invisible. I couldn't wait until Raeda became that fast.

I returned to my work, happy with my pokemon but worried about Sheila. As soon as I started working again, I noticed the slight breeze catch Raeda's shell and blow it over the Ursaring's body, where it lingered for a few seconds. Gilles had stopped his patrol and was looking over to me and at the husk. After that, the husk fluttered off into the night, as if by its own volition. I thought nothing of it, but Gilles gazed at it intently as it disappeared into the night.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

In the morning I was awoken by one of the loudest displays of screeching I had ever heard. The horrendous, deafening shrieking was coming from Raeda, who was caught in my sleeping bag. I soon noticed that I was not the only one awoken by Raeda. Azrael was looking inside the open flap of my tent with concern and Gilles' shadowy form looked like it highly disliked the noise.

By the time I calmed Raeda down, my ears were ringing and I had a headache. Gilles and Azrael had relocated to a more quiet location. I noticed it was morning, so I started packing up camp and realized Sheila was awake and packing as well. Raeda must have woken her up, too.

"Are you alright, Sheila?" I asked.

"I'll be fine once we get to a Pokemon Center and Larry gets help," she said, without emotion.

"Alright. I'm not sure how far we have to go but I know that Viridian City is south of the forest. We will get there in no time," I tried to reassure her. She didn't respond and continued to pack. This would be a silent and awkward hike to Viridian City.

Sheila had calmed down significantly since the previous day but her focus was entirely aimed at finding a Pokemon Center as soon as possible. As I had predicted, traveling was quiet and uneventful. I had told my pokemon to find food on their own but not to stray too far. Sheila also offered me a few protein bars so that I wouldn't need to hunt.

It was evening by the time we reached the recognizable path. There were trainers every now and then but we ignored them completely and trudged on. We found a sign which said "Rangers' Lodge 4 Miles" and an arrow pointing down the path. It was a relief because we had apparently cut almost an entire day from our walking time, due to walking diligently fast-paced.

It was getting dark by the time we reached the lodge but the trees were becoming more spread out, allowing us to see in the small amount of light. We received directions to the most direct route home and I purchased some jerky to snack on. It would be a few hours until we reached home, but I kept walking, intent on making it to the city that very night.

I did not have to tell Sheila that we weren't stopping; she must have figured it out and kept quiet after the road was paved in moonlight and we hadn't stopped. I noticed that her pace would occasionally speed up as we grew closer to the city. I noticed her pace grew especially fast once the road became lit by road lamps.

It was after 11:00 once we reached the city limits. We returned our pokemon to their pokeballs and continued into the city. I couldn't wait until I had won my fourth badge; pokemon above a danger rating of 3 could not be kept outside of their pokeballs in the city unless the owner met one of two requirements. The first was to earn four badges, showing that the trainer was competent enough to keep their pokemon under control. The second was to have owned the pokemon for over a year and to pass a competency examination. However, some pokemon still could not be let out of their balls because of their size, which posed a risk the structures within cities.

Sheila kept Lady outside of her pokeball as we walked into city limit. It took us ten minutes to reach a Pokemon Center after reaching Viridian City. Once Sheila saw the large bright pokeball sign, she sprinted towards the center. I let her go, choosing to follow at my own pace and meet her inside.

When I walked through the doors, I saw a blonde haired, blue-eyed, and freckled Nurse Joy talking to Sheila and walking back with her towards the residential accommodations. She then left Sheila's side and met me at the front counter.

"Hello, sir! Welcome to the Viridian City Pokecenter number three! How can I help you tonight?" she welcomed, with a large smile on her face.

"I need my pokemon checked, and also, will Larry be alright?" I asked.

Nurse Joy looked confused for a second before asking, "Are you traveling with the young lady who just checked in?" I nodded and she said, "Ok. The Flaaffy will be alright, though he might have had problems if the young lady had waited much longer to check him in. He was very lucky that she returned him to his pokeball before he bled out. She can tell you more about the specifics, since I am not allowed to divulge the particulars of the medical status of unrelated patients. As for your pokemon," she said, holding out her hand.

I gave her my four pokeballs and she scanned them before saying, "They are doing very well at the moment. With the exception of the Teddiursa, all of them are not injured. I will still have to take them for the night and you can pick them up after five in the morning. They won't require any time to rest before you use them in battles, as well. Here is a room key, and the cafeteria is open all hours of the day. Enjoy your stay!" she said cheerfully, handing me a key that said 'Room 12' on an attached label.

"Thank you, ma'am. Have a good night," I responded and walked down the hall, following the signs for lodging. I found Sheila sitting on a couch in the lounge and walked over to sit down next to her. She looked downcast, but that may have been because she was exhausted.

When Sheila saw me approach, she gave a weak smile and said, "Larry will be alright but he will need to rest for a week before I can resume training him."

I let out a sigh of relief and sat down. "Good," I said. I relaxed a little, enjoying the comfort of the soft couch. I heard a sniffle and looked over at Sheila. She was crying and was holding her face in her palms.

"I couldn't do anything. I froze up. All I could think about was Larry. I am so sorry I didn't help. I could have gotten us both killed, and our pokemon. I was so stupid," she sobbed in her hands.

"It's alright. Everyone is safe and ok now," I reassured her.

"I've never been in such a dangerous situation before. Thank you for helping me and making sure no one else was hurt," she said and gave me a hug.

Even though there was no romantic sentiment conveyed by her contact, it was the first time I had physical contact with a girl who wasn't my mother. As a result, I was slightly uncomfortable. However, I understood her feelings of gratitude and responded by returning her hug. She was warm and smelled terrible; like sweat and body odor. The time spent outside without showering for a week affected her hygiene.

I said to her while hugging, "It doesn't matter. Anyone would have been shocked in that situation. But we're safe now. Our pokemon are safe now. I'm sure you will be able to handle yourself in the future." I smiled and released. "Now, I could use a shower and a meal," I said with a laugh. "Meet me in half an hour in the cafeteria?"

Sheila smiled, nodded, and said, "Ok, see you there."

I walked to my room and went directly to the shower. The warm water felt glorious, compared to the month I had spent in the wilderness, occasionally taking cold baths in streams. I ended up standing in the shower for almost half an hour, simply enjoying the sensation of the warm water hitting my body, before I realized I was going to be late.

I quickly washed with the complimentary soap and clothed myself with the baggy Pokecenter clothes that were given to trainers during their stay at the Center. They allowed trainers to wash their clothing and still have something to wear. They were a pair of white and red sweats with a pokeball and the Pokecenter number stitched on the front. Trainers would have the option of returning the sweats within thirty minutes of picking up their clothing or being charged for them on the washing bill.

I arrived in the cafeteria fifteen minutes late and looked around for Sheila, finding her absent. I decided that she probably went through a similar experience as I, so I waited. I sat down and checked my PokeDex. I called my parents and told them where I was, and that I would be coming home tomorrow.

I waited thirty minutes before Sheila arrived, shuffling into the cafeteria wearing her baggy Pokecenter clothes. I made a show of looking at my watch and saying, "45 minutes late! I could have eaten and been sleeping in my room by now."

"Yeah… The shower felt really good. And don't give me that. Women have time needs when bathing," she said with a huff.

I laughed and said, "Don't worry about it. I was fifteen minutes late, too. Now, I'm hungry." We walked into the food court and I ordered a ground beef Miltank burger with the works. Sheila looked at it being made and smelled the aroma wafting out before ordering the same thing. "Oh? You have no problem eating pokemon if you don't have to see them killed, huh?" I accused.

Sheila ignored me and we carried our meals over to a table. The cafeteria was empty, it being around half past midnight.

We ate in silence, enjoying the taste of our meals. I had been eating bland meat with no spices for over a month. As a result, that burger tasted heavenly.

When I slowed down eating long enough to talk, I said, "So, I'm going to visit my parents tomorrow. You can accompany me if you want.

Sheila thought about it for a moment before saying, "Well, I'm going to visit my sister eventually. If I go with you, you have to agree to accompany me.

"Alright, that's fair," I replied.

"I warn you, though," Sheila said, "My sister and her husband are awkward to be around. They kinda live in their own little world and can be a little inappropriate with each other around other people occasionally."

"Great…" I said, almost regretting agreeing to it.

I slept well that night knowing that my pokemon were safe and that I would not have to worry about being attacked in my sleep. Despite the fact that I was lonely without my pokemon sleeping with me, the bed consumed me in its soft and fluffy embrace.

I woke up to a loud and quick series of knocks on my door. I groggily pulled myself out of bed and answered the door to see Sheila standing there, excitedly. I looked at my watch and read '9:00.' "Hurry up! Our pokemon are ready to be picked up," she impatiently ordered.

I was grumpy from being pulled from fluffy cloud I was sleeping in but I quickly became excited to get my pokemon back. I grabbed my PokeDex and put on some lodging slippers before heading to the pokemon checkout counter with Sheila. The Nurse Joy had our pokeballs in foam holding containers and checked our PokeDexes before giving them back to us.

We then immediately went to Pokecenter activity room, which was easily the largest room of the building, located underneath the ground floor. We took an elevator down, which fed us into an enormous, cavernous room, lit by lights all over the walls and ceilings. The underground chamber was over 100 feet tall, with walls extending 1000 feet. There were ponds, artificial grass patches, dirt patches, sandboxes, artificial trees, and many other artificial environmental accommodations.

We released our pokemon one by one. I let Sheila release Larry first. The Flaaffy appeared sitting on the ground and brayed loudly when he saw Sheila. She knelt down saying, "Come here, Larry! How are you doing now?" Larry hobbled over, missing half of his front left arm. Since Flaaffy preferred to walk on two legs, Larry's movement wouldn't be hampered that badly. He also had multiple scars running down his right side with some of his wool permanently missing.

Despite his many new deformities, he was as happy and playful as ever, jumping over to Sheila and snuggling into her arms. It was heartwarming to say the least. I released Raeda and she buzzed over to Larry. "Oh Raeda, look at you!" complimented Sheila. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier about how beautiful you are. Larry here gave me quite a scare."

We released the rest of our pokemon in turn. Azrael stretched and laid down in the underground cavern. Gilles had fun terrorizing some of the other pokemon by hiding in the shadows and scaring other pokemon with sudden screeches. Raeda and Lady had fun buzzing around, but Raeda quickly found out she was much, much faster than the Ledyba. Sheila kept Larry close and Kara wandered over to Azrael.

Azrael seemed to ignore the grass pokemon but she eventually settled down near him, without him seeming to mind. It was relaxing until I heard a trainer yelling from over by the pond. "Someone get that ghost away from my pokemon!" I looked over to see a young trainer standing outside of the pond with a very angry look on his face. Gilles was nowhere to be seen.

I then saw an inconspicuous shadow moving around the chamber on the walls. It traveled around until it stopped in my shadow. "Gilles, what have you done now?" I whispered into my shadow. He let out a quiet giggle. Sheila was gazing at us with a look of disapproval.

"Whose ghost was that!?" yelled the kid from across the chamber. There were only five trainers in the cavern, including Sheila, me, and the kid. The other two people were shaking their heads so the kid looked over to me and Sheila.

I sighed and yelled, "Sorry, he's mine. He won't bother you guys again." Then I said to Gilles, who was materializing behind me, "Cut it out now, Gilles. People are getting mad."

The kid apparently was not satisfied and yelled out, "Your ghost is a menace. You need to punish it." _What?_

"I'm sorry, what? Has my pokemon harmed anyone?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"He pushed my Machop into the pond. You need to discipline your pokemon better," he said self-righteously. He had walked over to me to challenge me directly.

"Was your Machop hurt? I'm pretty sure they can swim. I already reprimanded my pokemon so if you have a problem, get over it," I said.

"Oh, looks like we got a tough guy here. Maybe you won't be so tough when my pokemon wipe the floor with yours," he said, poking me in the chest. I was a few inches taller than him but that didn't stop him from trying to intimidate me. However, poking me in the chest was a bad idea.

Faster than I could react to, Azrael had pinned the kid to the ground with one hand and was snarling in his face. To his credit, the kid did not scream or show much signs of fright. He laid there with a blank look on his face. I immediately put a hand on Azrael's spiracle and said, "It's alright, Azrael. Let him go."

Azrael huffed, growled again at the kid, and backed off. The kid stood up and glared at us. "Do you still want that battle, then?" I asked.

"Prepare to take your pokemon back to the med check!" he said. I returned my pokemon and released Azrael. He released his Machop and said, "Your dragon doesn't scare me! Alright Jericho, body slam that lizard!" _It's on._

"Azrael, tackle him back," I ordered. The Machop was four feet tall and chiseled and it managed to hit Azrael with enough force to counter his attack. _Ok new tactic. Machop is a fighting-type. No more screwing around._

I stomped twice, which Azrael responded to quickly. He disappeared underneath the ground and the kid responded with, "Jericho, focus!" The Machop focused his strength and the kid said, "Now prepare a low kick; on my mark!"

I watched the kid, who watched right back. I waited and so did the kid. He was waiting for me to give the order. I smiled and slid my foot over the ground. "Now, Jericho!" The Machop kicked the ground, hitting dirt. I smiled again as that happened and stomped, sliding my foot ahead.

It was an effective fake out. Azrael tore from the ground, hitting the Machop's feet and flipping it head over heels. "Scratch him now, Azrael," I yelled and watched as Azrael finished off the Machop with a flurry of scratching.

The kid returned his pokemon with another glare and sent out another pokemon. It was a small blue rat with a jagged tail. He was going to try and combat Azrael with water. "Tackle that rodent, Azrael! Pound it into the dirt!" I ordered. Azrael rushed forward.

"Mimi, spray the dirt out from underneath its feet! Then roll away," the trainer yelled. She tripped Azrael, and tried to roll-out away from him, but Azrael's momentum carried him into her. Her small size ended up placing her entirely in Azrael's open mouth, which he closed down immediately.

The trainer returned her immediately, scowling. "I'm still not scared of you dragon!" he yelled rebelliously. He released a small green bird whose head was nearly its entire body. It had small feet protruding underneath and it took to the air immediately. I recognized it as a Natu, the psychic/flying type pokemon. "Alright, jump and peck, Nero!"

It began flying with small teleports every second. It made it almost impossible to track the bird, as it would teleport in a random direction. Azrael was trying to bite it but it would teleport in, peck him, and then teleport away before he could land a hit. "Azrael, spin and breathe fire!" I called out. He obeyed and he let loose a ring of fire around him.

The fire caught on the Natu and caused him to stop his teleporting. It was just enough time for Azrael to close his jaws around the bird. The Natu reappeared ten feet away as he teleported out of Azrael's mouth, with singed wings. It teleported nearby again and pecked away at Azrael, who tried to swat him out of the air. "Sandstorm, Azrael," I ordered. He scratched the ground and stomped on it, causing the dirt to swirl around him.

As soon as he disappeared into the storm, I stomped twice on the ground. He invisibly submerged and I waited. The bird disappeared and I stomped and slid my foot. The unnatural force of wind in the sandstorm no doubt swept the Natu off balance and allowed Azrael to take it by surprise when the bird did not hit its target. I saw the small bird flung from the storm and skid on the ground. It was returned soon after.

"Dammit, that dragon is tough," the boy said to himself. He took out another ball and released his final pokemon. A Skarmory stood in front of Azrael, cawing and showing its toothy beak. The metal bird charged after its trainer commanded it to. I stomped twice and Azrael invisibly submerged again inside his storm. "Faster, Apollo," the boy shouted, and the Skarmory started making short leaps in speed forward. I stomped and slid my foot.

It was moving quickly and passed through the sandstorm with its metal feathers held out in a slicing motion. It was not, however, quick enough to avoid Azrael. It emerged from the sandstorm, trying to blink dirt out of its eyes, and the ground tore from beneath it. It tripped and Azrael stood above it.

"Azrael, breathe fire now!" I yelled. He blew fire onto the steel bird and the bird squawked in pain. It still raised itself up, though, and launched itself at Azrael. It slashed into Azrael with its sharp feathers, drawing blood. Azrael scratched and blew fire, tearing out feathers. They brawled like that for about ten seconds before the Skarmory keeled over. "Good job, Azrael! Come back over here," I said triumphantly.

He walked over, visibly shaken but standing strong. "Dammit! Apollo, I'm sorry. Here's your money, douchebag," he said and threw me some cash. He then stomped off towards the elevator. I picked up the 500Pb he threw and pocketed them. Sheila looked unimpressed.

"Hold on, Azrael. I'm going to check your status," I told my pokemon. I returned him and found his health at 67%, then released him. "Wow, you know how to take a hit, don't you? You fought very well. Thank you for taking that kid down a notch."

Azrael nodded and huffed, nuzzling me on the arm. I patted him on the head and released my other two pokemon. "So when do you want to head out?" I asked Sheila.

"Well whenever you're done stroking your ego and beating up little kids, anytime soon would be fine," she said impatiently.

"Whoa. What's your problem? He challenged me, Sheila," I said defensively.

"He was mad that your pokemon attacked his, and that you didn't show much remorse or effort to keep him from doing it in the first place. You would be pissed, I'm sure, if someone attacked your pokemon for no reason and out of the blue," she accused.

I thought about that for a little bit and then said, "Maybe you're right. I didn't think it was that bad. If I see him again, I'll apologize."

"You better. You were kinda mean, you know?" she said. "Gilles, you are getting your master in trouble," she pointed at him. Gilles avoided eye contact and looked away.

My acceptance of her argument seemed to calm her down and we headed up to the cafeteria after returning our pokemon to their pokeballs. After another burger, we packed up our belongings and returned our Pokecenter sweats after retrieving our clothes. I found the kid from my battle at the pokemon medical check-in counter on my way out.

"Hey, man. I realize that my behavior towards you and your pokemon was disrespectful and I would like to apologize for it," I said. I truly felt I had been a little rude after Sheila told me so from another perspective.

"Oh, whatever. Just watch out next time. You won't be so lucky. My pokemon will get stronger and then I'll pound you into the ground," he said resentfully. "I accept your apology but you've beaten me and in so doing, harmed my pokemon. It's on. See you on the road," the boy said. He then finished up at the counter and left.

"Wow. Talk about holding a grudge," Sheila said.

"No kidding," I responded.

"Well, guess you have a rival now. Good job. See what being mean gets you?" Sheila chastised.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I was a dick and now I've made an enemy. Can we get past this? I've learned my moral lesson," I said, exasperated. Sheila harrumphed and headed out of the Pokemon Center.

We headed to the trader to whom I sold the products of my hunts. I sold all of my furs, claws, antlers, and pokemon baubles to him and walked away with 15,000Pb. I then walked to a pokemon trade house and found a representative.

"I have an infant Teddiursa I would like to sell," I told him.

"Oh wow, that's a pretty nice catch. Hope its momma didn't give you too much trouble," he said with a wink.

I gave him a blank stare and simply said, "Don't." He didn't pursue it further and gave me a price after five minutes.

"If you want to part with the Teddi, we will give you 10,000Pb for him," he said. I knew Teddiursa could fetch a very high price due to their cuteness. If they were trained well, they could be sold as cute house pokemon which developed an attachment to children and served as protective pets. I took the money, which put 25,000Pb in my pocket.

I immediately deposited all but 1,000Pb into my bank account and marveled at how much I accrued. I had 56,000Pb in my account, which gave me the means with which I could buy many useful items. I would go shopping for supplies after I met with my parents and after I met with Sheila's sister and her husband.

After stopping by the bank, Sheila said to me, "Well let's head over to your parents' house. I'm sure they can't wait to see you." I looked in the direction of my parents' house and nodded. Together, we walked through the bustling city towards my suburban home.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Author's Note:

Well, we officially have a traveling companion now. Raeda also evolved! Fun stuff this chapter and fun stuff to come!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

My parents were very happy to see me, despite their disapproval of my career choice. They enjoyed meeting Sheila and were somewhat relieved to know that I was not traveling alone, though I believe I'm never alone when I have my pokemon. Since my parents' new house was outside of the city on the Eastern side, technically I was allowed to have any pokemon I wanted out of their pokeballs and so was Sheila.

"Wow! He's gotten a LOT bigger," observed my father, looking at Azrael. "Has he remained obedient? Has he caused any trouble for you?"

"If anything, our friendship has grown stronger. The same can be said for Gilles. In fact, Azrael has helped me in many difficult situations, and has shown a degree of protectiveness," I responded. I conveniently left out the details of the hardships I had faced in Viridian Forest. "I have even caught a new pokemon; her name is Raeda."

I released Raeda to show my parents and she buzzed around happily, surprising them. My mother did not look too impressed by any of my pokemon and chose to converse with Sheila while I talked to my father.

"I've beaten two trainers now. Actually, Sheila is the only trainer to have beaten me, and it was close. Did you know she has two badges already? And I still almost beat her!" I told my father.

"How did that little girl beat your dragon?" my father asked.

"Her Roselia slowed Azrael with paralyzing spores and then beat him from a distance. I'm instituting new drills to compensate for his shortcomings in distance battling, now. I'm even going to shop for technical machines for him and my other pokemon so that they can fight effectively at a distance," I said.

"Those can be very expensive," my father said after a moment of thought. He might have been thinking that I was going to ask him for help in paying for the techniques.

"Yeah. I realize T.M.'s are expensive, but I've accrued a bit of money from my gains in hunting," I said, dissolving that possible illusion in my head. "Today, I sold a Teddiursa that I caught for 15,000Pb."

"How did you manage to get ahold of one?" he asked with a very surprised look.

"Its mother died so I caught it," I lied. I did not want my parents worrying about me, so I left out the attack.

His face did not show belief, but it did not show disbelief and he said, "Mhmm. Well have you thought about what other pokemon you want to use? I'm sure they will be just as dangerous as a dragon and a ghost."

"I have. I want to catch a water pokemon, a fire pokemon, and a psychic pokemon. I haven't decided what I want yet, but I need some diversity. Plus, I feel like sometimes circumstances can lead you to catch a less than ideal pokemon who turns out to be exceptional. Look at Gilles. I wanted a Gastly whom I could train up from its beginning stage but I caught a Haunter, instead. He has exceeded my expectations on more than one occasion. So I think I'll play it by ear as far as deciding what exact pokemon I want out of those categories," I explained to him.

My father nodded and looked me in the eyes. He said, "Well when you catch a fire pokemon, give me a call. I know certain techniques to training fire pokemon that you might find valuable."

I nodded back and said, "I will. Thank you. Azrael has some rudimentary fire skills and I intend to buy a more advanced fire technique tomorrow."

"Just make sure you aren't on the target end of the fire," my father said with a small chuckle. He had more than a few burns as trophies and monuments to his gathered wisdom.

We stood in silence for a while. Sheila was talking to my mother and my mother had her arms crossed. I didn't know the topic of their conversation but I hoped Sheila wasn't giving her a bad impression of me and my training methods.

"So, this girl," my father nudged. "Did you lose to her on purpose?" He wore a sly grin.

"Of course not!" I exclaimed. "I would never let my pokemon be harmed for something like that."

My father laughed and held up his hands. "It was only a joke. How long will you be staying home?"

"Sheila's pokemon was injured and needs to rest for a week before she can use him again. Larry, her Flaaffy, lost an arm in a fight. We will be staying until he's ready to train again and then we will help each other through Viridian Forest. We both plan on battling the Pewter City gym boss so there's little reason not to travel together," I discussed.

My father was listening intently and he inquired about the two badges she had. "She is actually from Hoenn. She's training here because her father is the next gym leader she needs to face, and she doesn't want to fight him yet." He nodded again. "As it is, I will probably accompany her to her sister's home and return here for the night."

"Alright. Well it's good to see you before you start taking on the gyms," my father said. "Also, let us know when you have an upcoming gym battle and we will watch you on TV on LeagueWatch. Your mother would like to watch, too. She may seem distant and apathetic, but she cares and would like to see you succeed as well. Even if it isn't in the life she wanted you to have."

I thanked him and we made plans to have lunch inside the house, after I introduced Sheila to Blazerunner. She also explored my room, which I did not approve of. "Oh wow, you have a lot of books on pokemon," Sheila exclaimed after combing through my desk. "Did you not have a life or friends?" she asked jokingly.

"No. I didn't have many friends growing up." I responded, reflecting on the many lonely nights spent reading about wonderful pokemon.

"Oh… Well it explains how you know so much about so many pokemon," she said awkwardly. We then proceeded to lunch. It was a small lunch, in which Sheila rambled on about Hoenn and her family. My parents did not mind and indulged her monologue.

After that, Sheila and I said goodbye to my parents for the time being and proceeded to her sister's house. She looked at her GPS for a couple minutes before exclaiming, "Oh! Hey my sister doesn't live too far from here! Three blocks that way, and four blocks to the right." She was smiling.

We walked down the street with our pokemon returned to their balls. It was acceptable to have them out in our private residences, but it was also courteous to other pedestrians to keep scary looking pokemon in their balls while commuting.

We finally arrived at Sheila's sister's house, which was larger than my parents' new house. It also had more land. They had to be somewhat wealthy. We walked up the stone stairs to the front door and Sheila knocked. There was a momentary pause before the door was opened by a tall woman who looked very much like Sheila. She had brown eyes, brown hair, and a fair amount of freckles. She was wearing jeans and a green t-shirt.

Elaina exclaimed, "Oh? Back so soon? I've heard Viridian Forest is a maze but you've only been gone a week!" She also had a very large grin on her face. I noticed a Floatzel looking at me from behind her. "Who is your friend?" Elaina asked.

Sheila looked at me and said, "Actually, I found and beat this guy's pokemon. Now we are traveling together because he gave me a bit of a challenge. We just came from his parents' home a few blocks away."

I introduced myself and Elaina said, "Oh my god! Your father was the Rapidash breeder who lost everything last year… My condolences." I nodded awkwardly and thanked her for her empathy. She then said, "Well Charles, my husband, won't be home until later but you two are welcome to come inside."

We did so and relaxed on a couple comfortable couches in the den. I inquired about her husband's profession, as well as hers, and she said, "Charles is a lobbyist for BioTech and I bring in some extra money with my trainer tutoring. Charles makes a lot, which is why we can afford such comfortable living." I knew BioTech. It was the company that created the translation devices for pokemon. It also worked on many other technological innovations concerning pokemon and their owners.

I nodded and looked at the three-foot-tall orange otter-like pokemon who had jumped on Sheila. "My Floatzel's name is Joey. He isn't very trusting of strangers, so don't be offended at his standoffishness towards you. I have a Manectric but I sent him home to my father's gym back in Hoenn so that he could continue training; he loves training and I didn't have the heart to keep him cooped up here. Avery is somewhere up in the sky outside. He's a Staravia. What pokemon do you have?" she asked.

"I have a Gible, a Haunter, and a Ninjask," I said proudly.

"You have two evolved pokemon and haven't earned a badge yet? Is the Gible Kira's offspring?" she asked.

"I have been training in Viridian forest for over a month before I take on any gym leaders. And yes, Azrael, my Gible, is Kira's brood."

"Oh wow. That Gible must be a stud," she said. I nodded and she continued, "It's good that you aren't trying to rush things. I'm sure Sheila told you about my experience, and I rushed the circuit when I competed. And a _Haunter_? I don't even want to know how you are able to train one. It sounds like a pretty sound start. Now, I would like to talk to Sheila for a few minutes in private, if you wouldn't mind."

I didn't so the two women disappeared into another room. I leaned back into couch and noticed Joey sitting in the middle of the den, staring at me. He moved over to on top of the coffee table in front of me and sat there, continuing his stare. He tilted his head slightly to the right as I awkwardly shuffled where I sat.

"Uh… Hi there," I said. It did not react. To put a barrier between me and the Floatzel, I picked up a newspaper from the coffee table and opened it up in front of the pokemon. There were a few stories that took my attention away from the awkward water pokemon.

The first was a story about BioTech's up-and-coming fishing pole that boasted an 85% capture rate, with a smart hook that molded into the most effective one upon being eaten. There were a few reports of crime in the city, which was not all that uncommon given that it was a large concentration of people; one of those was a story about a boy whose pokemon had been stolen. The last story was about a protest that had been staged by Pokeadvocates outside of a BioTech laboratory that had not made much progress.

When the two women returned to the den, I noticed Sheila's cheeks were a little flushed but thought nothing of it. We made plans for dinner that evening spent much time talking about Charles, pokemon, and some recent reality shows. It was not my ideal use of time but I gave Sheila my word I would accompany her here. After half an hour, I suggested we go to the store to look at T.M.'s and Sheila agreed.

Elaina even said, "I'll come with you both. Charles receives discounts on BioTech merchandise. They don't expect him to need pokemon tech, which is why they gave him the perk." I was very grateful for that. I knew T.M.'s would be expensive.

We took a subway to center city and after we exited the station, Elaina released Joey, who then walked beside her. It was a five-minute walk before we arrived at a very modern looking building labeled 'BioTech: for trainers and their teams.' We entered and I made my way to the T.M. section. I looked at the brochures for the various techniques before settling on a few.

I also noticed the priced differences. The more generally powerful a technique was, the more expensive it was. The more rare the technique, the more expensive, as well. They ranged from 8,000Pb for the more common techniques, to 25,000Pb for the more powerful techniques; among those were ice beam, hyper beam, solar beam, and close combat.

I wasn't interested as much in the most powerful moves; those could come in time. I needed a T.M. or two for Azrael and for Gilles. Raeda had enough on her plate at the moment with her recent evolution and new flying combat style. I immediately picked out the T.M. _Flamethrower_, a technique that allows pokemon to project their fiery breath to great distances and with great force. Through training, pokemon could learn to project it farther and farther; I think the record distance for a sustained stream of fire was by 21st Indigo League Champion Red's Charizard whose fire could reach a ridiculous 1129 feet. None have come close since then.

"Good choice. And only 12,000Pb" said Elaina, looking over my shoulder.

"Ooh! I'm getting this for Kara," exclaimed Sheila. She had picked up a grass-type move called _Energy Ball_. I looked at a brochure for it and found that it was a move that drew in energy specifically from the surrounding foliage and then released it as a ball of natural energy. The energy would sometimes also drain the foe's ability to fend off non-physical attacks. I looked at the compatibility chart and found Haunter on the list.

A grass-type attack would be very valuable to have, and as a ranged attack for Gilles. It was a good combination in my head. Sheila saw me reaching for one of the T.M. requests for _Energy Ball_ and stopped me before saying, "Hey, why don't you get a T.M. that one of my pokemon can use alongside yours, and I'll have Kara teach it to whomever you want it taught to?"

It was a great idea and I agreed. I then browsed some more through the various techniques. There were not many T.M.'s that were cross-compatible with my pokemon and hers. Eventually, a T.M. called _Shadow Ball_ caught my eye. It was a technique that allowed the user to condense the shadows around her into a quasi-physical force and project it towards an opponent. It could also disrupt psychic energy and dark energy.

I knew Gilles would learn it eventually, but it would not be a bad idea to teach him the move early, in order for him to have more time to develop the attack. It could also be taught to Roselia and Ninjask. I then addressed Sheila, "How about this T.M.? It's called _Shadow Ball_ and it would allow Kara to combat psychics, one of her natural weaknesses, by disrupting their psychic powers with quasi-physical energy."

Sheila agreed almost instantly after hearing that it would help Kara compensate for one of her natural weaknesses. It was 15,000Pb which was bearable for me. I looked around some more and found an interesting move that could benefit Azrael called _Bulldoze_. It lifted dirt, sand, and other earthen particles, with the same force the pokemon use to create sandstorms, into an earthen wave. The pokemon then pushes it forward with great force, slamming it into other pokemon and hampering their ability to move quickly, due to mud and clay weighing them down or getting into their eyes, among other problems it caused.

That technique would be very useful, and cost 12,000Pb, so I picked it out. Overall, the price for those three T.M.'s would have cost me 39,000Pb. With Charles' discount card, we received a fabulous 15% discount, which saved me almost 6,000Pb. That left me with around 20,000Pb that was going to be used for supplies and then kept in the bank in case I needed it later. I figured that I could do without a translation device for the time being. Furthermore, gym battles were not free and not cheap, so I would need to save money.

I immediately linked the one-time-use T.M.'s to their respective pokemon and we headed back to the subway metro station. We decided to meet for dinner at 7:30 and in the meantime, I asked Sheila to come with me to the rundown reserve where I had met Azrael. I asked her for several reasons. The first was that I simply wanted to show her the place. The second was that I wanted her to know where it was so that she could meet me there during the time we spent home for training; it never stopped for me and she was loathe to hear that she couldn't spend the entire time in Viridian City relaxing. The third was that I didn't want to wait for 4 hours while they chattered on like annoying teenage girls.

Luckily enough, Sheila agreed to come along. She was awed by the intricate system of tunnels that ran below the surface and Azrael even curled up and laid down in his old nest.

After we left the tunnels, we then held a short training session during which Azrael practiced his flame throwing technique and bulldoze technique, Gilles practiced his shadow ball technique, and Kara practiced her energy ball technique. I told Raeda to see if she could mimic Gill's shadow ball while he learned to use it. She had a difficult time with it but showed promise.

After practicing, we left the reserve and headed back to Viridian City to have dinner with Elaina and Charles. It was a very nice meal of baked Goldeen and vegetables. Sheila wasn't joking when she said they lived in their own little world. They nearly forgot we were there when staring into each other's eyes and drinking some wine. At least I could talk to Sheila.

Before dinner, Charles did not talk much about work; he had to work on a project for a proposal to the Kanto government. He went to work immediately afterwards as well. We then called it a night and agreed to meet at the reserve at 9:00. I walked home and found my parents watching the news when I arrived.

They asked me simple questions about dinner and my day before they stood up and my mother said, "I know we aren't going to convince you to give up the Indigo League. But we do want to make sure you are safe. You didn't call very much during the last month."

"We are making some money now, which is better than before. Our savings had allowed us to keep the house while I tried to restart my business, but that fell through when Blazerunner refused to breed with any mare brought to him. We have a little money now so you don't need to worry about us, but we worry about you. What if you aren't as great of a trainer as you think and your pokemon turn on you? How do you know they will be able to protect you?" my father chimed in.

"I understand and I promise to call more often. Believe me though, my pokemon are getting stronger very quickly. You will see on TV when I get to Pewter City. If it will make you feel any better, I will quit training if I am not able to beat Cerulean City's gym leader," I promised. That seemed to silence them. I believed they were hoping I would be incapable of beating the gyms so that I would return home.

My father finally said, "We never wanted you to be a pokemon trainer. But we also would never want you to fail at anything. Although we do not want you risking your life day in and day out, we will be cheering for you at home."

My mother added, "We are immensely proud of you for leading your own life. We want you to know that we support you, despite our disagreement in your career choice."

I was touched and I thanked them before they both embraced me. They went to bed after that and I walked outside where my pokemon were relaxing. Azrael had fallen asleep so I returned him. Gilles, I returned as well. Raeda was still awake and listening to the soft sounds of the night. "Raeda, let's go inside and go to bed. We're going to resume training in the morning. I can't wait to see how well you can use your new abilities."

Raeda chittered happily and flew around me. She landed on my back and nestled there as I walked inside. I didn't return her to her pokeball; she was small enough to fit in the house and sleep in my bed with me. I was happy my parents were finally starting to come around. I also could not lose a gym battle, for I had promised to end my journey if I failed (though I never had the intention of failing or even the thought of it). Tomorrow would start a new day with new opportunities for success.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The next week was full of technique training and drills for my pokemon and I. Sheila was not as disciplined, choosing to arrive late most days, but she did take some lessons from me and my training style. She would occasionally put her pokemon through low-intensity drills but would play with them for the most part.

My pokemon were learning quickly how to hone their newly learned abilities. Gilles surprised me and Sheila by showing a warped affinity for energy ball. When Kara, and most pokemon for that matter, used energy ball, she would draw in energy from all the plants around her to charge the move. This would leave the plants around her alive and well.

Gilles, on the other hand, would focus his energy draw from a single or a few sources, charging the ball at the same speed, if not faster. The problem with that method, or upside in his case, was that the sources he drew from would suffer massive energy loss and would then shrivel and die.

I had no problem with that method; in my opinion, the world was no worse off with a few flowers or bushes missing. Sheila was not particularly happy with this new development and voiced her opinion only once. After I showed apathy and even encouragement, she decided it wasn't worth it to argue.

Gilles' shadow ball was a bit weaker than his energy ball, but it showed great promise. He would draw in a dark aura from the various shadows and release it at targets, often destroying them with the force of the attack.

Raeda was going to need practice with the shadow ball. Her technique was weaker than Gilles' but it could be practiced.

Azrael's bulldozing skills quickly became apparent as exceptional His bulldozing skills were spectacular. He could raise a pile of dirt 10 feet high and several feet thick and send it quickly and forcefully crashing into his targets. He could imbue those earthy waves with so much force, even though he was a Gible, that he could topple small trees in two or three attempts.

His flamethrowing was not as strong as his bulldozing ability, but it was still very strong as well. From the beginning, Azrael could project his fiery breath to a distance of twenty feet. After the week had passed, he could project it thirty feet.

I instituted an exercise regimen to supplement our technique practice as well. I ran sprints with Azrael, sometime climbing onto his back to weigh him down. Though, when I did climb on this back, I cheered him on and praised him for his effort. When he exhausted himself out, I would rub his scaly back and sides, talking to him and praising him for doing well. He enjoyed those respites from training and would occasionally nip me afterwards.

I had Gilles and Raeda participating in speed drills, which doubled as toughness training for Gilles. Raeda was becoming so fast, that Gilles could only avoid a fraction of her attacks. She was learning to control her speed quickly, which gave her an edge above all of her teammates. Sometimes she would hit Gilles so much that he would throw fits and try to hit her with energy balls or shadow balls. I had to return him to his ball on those occasions to let him settle down.

I admired the progress my pokemon made frequently and gave them ample praise. Sheila took notice of the way I praised my pokemon and occasionally commented on our positive and admirable team-family dynamic. She always showed mixed emotions. One day she would praise my training methods and the next she would be giving me the silent treatment.

Of course those episodes of silent treatments could have been attributed to little outbursts that I caused. For instance, a couple days into the week, I noticed her sprinting with her pokemon and commented on how slow she was moving. I was rewarded with a few spores being flung at me. They attached to my skin and dug in.

Some of those spores hit Azrael as well, which pissed him off. I waited a few seconds for Azrael to get an attack off before stopping him. He blew a line of fire at Kara and Sheila, which singed some of Sheila's hair and burnt some of the petals on Kara's red flower. Sheila then stormed off with her pokemon and I had to stop by Elaina's house to apologize. Perhaps those kinds of incidents had something to do with her mood swings…

That particular situation gave me an idea. Sheila happily agreed to let Kara hit me and my pokemon with spores. My goal was to help my pokemon develop a resistance to the spores. I participated because I felt it was fair that I go through the pain of it if I made my pokemon suffer through it. I bought a large amount of medicine for both me and my pokemon and at the end of the week, my pokemon had become noticeably a little more resistant to them.

Azrael had become faster because of the spores, for they forced him to give his all in the sprints, lest he seize up. I was in constant misery as well; Sheila seemed to enjoy herself at first but she started feeling sorry for us and ceased her mockery. I even thought I caught her looking at me and my pokemon with admiration a couple times, but they quickly changed to looks of empathy.

After the week had ended, we were ready to return to the wilderness. I was confident in my pokemons' rudimentary knowledge of their new attacks, as well as their adept knowledge of their old moves, to spare no time spurring our flight from home. Sheila's pokemon were ready as well; Larry's stub of a hand had healed over and his lightning shocks were as powerful as ever.

I had shopped for supplies during the previous day. I bought medicine for myself and my pokemon, a light jacket, replaced lost arrows, and, after seeing how lucrative selling pokemon was, I bought more pokeballs. After my funds had taken a beating, I had 20 pokeballs and 5 greatballs.

We eventually said goodbye to our respective family members and left for Viridian Forest. Sheila and I walked side-by-side, talking about everything and nothing, Azrael lumbered forward on my other side, Gilles flew around giggling, Larry and Kara followed on Kara's other side, and Raeda and Lady buzzed happily overhead. We continued on as Viridian Forest loomed ahead, growing larger and denser as we approached.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Our nights luckily did not host any re-enactments of our last incident in Viridian Forest, but we still had our fair share of life-threatening situations and stress. The forest was growing colder by the day. My pokemon received plenty of fighting training during our hunting, which we pursued during our hike through the forest and for a couple hours at the end of the day. To appease Sheila, I only allowed my pokemon to kill another pokemon if they intended on eating it.

Raeda helped Azrael and Gilles hunt but did not need as much to eat as them. I also ate what I shot. I would share my kills and my pokemon would share theirs. Throughout our journey through Viridian Forest, I lived off of a very redundant diet of bird meat, small mammals, and occasionally deer meat. Our travel was also slow-going, for I insisted on drills three times per day.

Sheila came to respect and appreciate the value of drilling when we compared pokemon levels out of curiosity one night, about a week and a half into the forest. When we first fought, Lady was level 10, Larry was 20, and Kara was 25. Raeda was 15, Gilles was 19, and Azrael was 20. After daily training and battling wild pokemon, Azrael had risen to 24, Gilles to 23, and Raeda to 20. Sheila's pokemon had not advanced nearly as fast. Lady was 12, Larry was 21, and Kara was 26.

Raeda had jumped up so far because she had the opportunity to train with much higher leveled pokemon. After seeing the change in pokemon levels, she started becoming more diligent in drilling her pokemon, though she always reserved time to play with them.

Our journey through Viridian Forest took us three weeks. During that time, we had multiple growing experiences. Aside from the monotonous walking during the day, we found ourselves in a couple situations best avoided.

During the first week of traveling, I caught a Butterfree. Butterfree, like most bug pokemon, evolved quickly and easily, but being the third evolved form of its species, it was not to be trifled with. I knew that fact before trying to catch it.

We entered a clearing and I saw it fluttering a few hundred feet away amidst a patch of multi-colored wildflowers. "Hey Sheila, hold back. I'm going to try and catch that Butterfree," I told Sheila. Sheila nodded and took a couple steps back into the trees as I advanced.

"Azrael, I want you to submerge and when you come up beneath it, I want you to create a sandstorm immediately. I will shoot an arrow underneath it so you will know where to come up," I told him. He stomped the ground and submerged.

"Raeda, I need you to catch the Butterfree's attention so it doesn't notice me shoot an arrow. Fly around it, screeching and leeching its life," I told my little bug. "Go now."

Raeda took off while I drew my bow. She was creating havoc almost instantly and I ran up about a hundred feet before shooting an arrow directly into the dirt below the Butterfree. Azrael, whom I'm sure had been following my movement underground, emerged a few seconds later underneath the Butterfree. His momentum coming out of the ground brought a flood of dirt and the flying particles started rotating around him instantly.

"Gilles, I need you to confuse the Butterfree before it hurts Raeda!" I yelled to my ghost. Gilles' raced ahead of me and sent wave after wave of confusing rays at the flying bug. It was trying to hit Raeda, but she was fast enough to avoid the purple beams of psychic energy being fired at her. Before Gilles was close enough to help, the Butterfree sent a cloud of powder into the air, which Raeda flew through.

I saw her fall through the air and skid along the ground as Azrael emerged and Gilles started trying to confuse it. Gilles' confusing rays interfered with the Butterfree's psychic abilities, preventing it from firing beams of psychic energy at Gilles or Azrael. Gilles then barraged the Butterfree with shadow ball after shadow ball, pummeling it with shadows.

I took out a pokeball and ran over to Raeda. I noticed the Butterfree struggle and break free from the sandy vortex and dip fairly low to the ground due to the piling dirt weighing it down. "Azrael! Bulldoze!" I yelled and the swirling sandstorm condensed into a wall of dirt and surged towards the bug. The force of the wave hit the bug and slammed it down into the ground.

I saw it twitching and trying to get up, so I threw the pokeball with as much force as I could, hitting its wing and making it disappear. My pokemon and I waited, watching the pokeball twitch before it came to a stop. "Yes! Good job all of you! That was damn near perfect," I cheered smiling. Raeda had flown through a cloud of sleep powder and had fallen asleep. I would wake her up momentarily.

I took a few steps towards the pokeball and heard a commotion behind me. I looked back, expecting Sheila to have disturbed another Ursaring, and found her battling a small green humanoid wearing what looked like a white dress. I saw Sheila suddenly lifted a couple inches off the ground and thrown to the side while her pokemon pummeled it with different attacks.

I recognized the pokemon as a Ralts; a psychic pokemon that could become very powerful, and scary to boot. It made sense that Lady seemed to be having the most effect on it. I started running over after returning Raeda, with Azrael and Gilles on my tail. I then saw Sheila get out and pull out a pokeball. She winded up and threw the ball at the little pokemon, bouncing it off of the Ralts' head.

The psychic pokemon disappeared and the ball wobbled a bit. "Kara, drop spores if you see it fail! Larry, get another electric wave ready. Lady, come back here so you don't get hit," she ordered her pokemon. I stopped and watched as the pokeball burst apart.

Immediately spores were released and a wave of electricity hit the Ralts at the same time. Kara followed up the attack with some leaves while the Ralts teleported a short distance away. The paralysis brought on by the spores and the electricity was having an effect. Sheila threw another ball. This time the ball wobbled for ten seconds before becoming motionless.

This was the main difference between trainer battles and wild pokemon fights. In a battle, there were rules like the amount of pokemon allowed to take place. In the wild, all of your pokemon could be used as a team to take down a pokemon or to capture it. Pokemon teamwork is something that most trainer battles lacked.

I smiled and ran back to retrieve my Butterfree. I registered it as caught but destined for storage. I then released it and had Gilles put it to sleep with his hypnosis. The Butterfree would normally have been strong enough to resist it, but being as weak as it was, it did not stand a chance. Putting it to sleep would be a more humane way to transport it.

I then returned to Sheila, who was chastising her new pokemon. "Now I don't want to see you attacking me or my pokemon anymore. When I release you, I want you to behave," she said with a high voice and a big smile. The Ralts looked bewildered. "This is my traveling companion and his pokemon. They won't hurt you." There was slight pause, "Yes I know the ghost is scary but he won't harm you."

"Do you understand it," I asked incredulously.

"_She_ is communicating with me telepathically," said Sheila proudly. "The ghost's name is Gilles and he is a friend. Welcome to my family," she said excitedly. I smiled. I was happy for her. Ralts were high-potential pokemon with telepathic abilities.

The Ralts was a little unruly, but it seemed to be fairly young. As such, it did not take the Ralts long to become attached to her new team. Sheila named her Shade.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

During the second week of our trek, after the woods had become as dark and cold as they would ever be, Sheila and I came across a battle. It was a battle between a Pikachu and a Pidgeotto. The Pikachu was sending bolt after bolt of lightning at the large bird that seemed to be attacking the Pikachu's dwelling. The Pidgeotto was pecking and sending air waves at the little yellow rat.

Eventually the Pikachu won out. It looked battered and beaten, though it had protected itself from its adversary. "Oh look, that makes me so happy to see. The cute little creature gets to live on after avoiding a predator," Sheila mused with a smile on her face.

I quickly gave Gilles an order and he became ethereal. He flew to the Pikachu and hypnotized it. I followed up with a quick throw of a pokeball and hit the Pikachu, catching it on the first try. Sheila gasped and glared at me angrily.

"Why?" she asked.

I explained, "One of the most knowable, cute, and popular pokemon in Kanto since Red beat the 20th Indigo League Champion has been a Pikachu. Do you know what happened when people saw a cute pokemon wield such power under the Champion?" Sheila shook her head, still glaring.

"Trainers surged out into the wilderness to find them. They were caught by the thousands. Soon, though, people started finding out that Red's Pikachu was a one-of-a-kind member of its species. The majority of Pikachu are weak and mediocre at best in battle. The Pikachu started just taking up space in storage when people lost faith in their fighting capabilities. This Pikachu just took on a Pidgeotto and won. Can you imagine how much I can get for this?" I was smiling and thinking about the money this one little pokemon would bring in.

"So you saw a pokemon win and caught it while it was weak. Big accomplishment. Now fighting the bird was pointless because it doesn't get to keep its habitat," scorned Sheila.

"You don't think Azrael could have taken it? Azrael could have eaten it whole. The Pidgeotto just saved me the effort and revealed to me how strong that Pikachu was. I would have just passed it by if I didn't see that spectacle."

"You could have at least warned me before you shattered its life. Now it will end up with some spoiled kid whose daddy can buy it. It will probably meet the same fate as the rest of the Pikachu you told me about."

"Perhaps. But don't give me that. If you wanted the pokemon for your team, you would not hesitate in taking it out of its habitat. Even if you are more competent than the next kid, you still only think about yourself and your team when you catch it, and not the pokemon."

"You're wrong. I give the pokemon a better life than it would have had out here."

"But you don't ask the pokemon if they agree with you. It's selfish. And that is what I'm being right now; selfish. I'm going to sell this Pikachu and hopefully it goes to someone who is like you and will give it a better life. But who it goes to is not my problem. Azrael, Gilles, and Raeda are the only pokemon I care about; the rest are cannon fodder."

"That is a horrible outlook. So you only see pokemon as a means to an end?"

"Only the ones I don't own. If I started feeling sorry for every pokemon I ate, battled, or protected myself against, I would not get any better. The only thing that would grow in strength would be my sense of self-righteousness and self-righteousness doesn't win battles. Pokemon, as far as my team is concerned, are food, competition, and practice. Occasionally they can help me afford to make my pokemon better with new techniques or medicine."

"Pokemon aren't objects. They have feelings and desires. Look at Azrael. He is intelligent and has emotions. It is wrong for you to think of all pokemon as objects. It's like refusing to help a helpless child simply because he is not your own."

"I didn't see you get upset when I caught my Butterfree. But then you had just taken a pokemon out of the wild as well! I'm done having this conversation," I stormed over to the pokeball and stored it with my belongings.

As we walked on in silence, I thought about what she said. I would have no problem helping a little child in danger, even if it wasn't my own child. Why did I view pokemon any differently? Maybe I had been cutting off my emotions and refusing to face the reality that pokemon weren't simply mindless creatures whose only use was target practice.

After brooding on it for a while, I exclaimed, "Dammit Sheila! Why do you have to make everything so difficult? I was going on just perfectly in my own ways until you had to change my perception. Yes, pokemon shouldn't be used as means to an end. But how do you justify the entire league with that thinking?"

"Simple. By NOT viewing pokemon as a means to an end. You view your team as your family. As do I. But I try to treat wild pokemon with the respect that any living creature deserves. They have lives, as inconsequential to you as they may be, and don't deserve to be discarded without a second thought."

"Well don't expect me to change overnight. I get what you're saying and I'm inclined to agree with you. But I need time to adjust."

"I'm happy you can see that," Sheila said with a small smile. We kept on our journey after that, not bringing the subject up again. A simple matter of perspective can change everything. If I wasn't careful, I could end up becoming a Pokeadvocate. I shuddered at the thought. My outlook on pokemon had been flawed from the beginning. It was based on a double-standard. I viewed my pokemon differently than others and I needed to alter that viewpoint somewhat. However, it wasn't something that would happen overnight.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The last major occurrence happened during the end of our second week of travel. The environment was dim and crowded with trees and brush. We saw a flickering light in the distance, so we chose to investigate. It happened to be a few spots where sunlight was shining through the tops of the trees.

That area led to more patches of sunlight that opened up into various meadows of wildflowers. We chose to venture a short distance into the clearing, relishing the warmth of the evasive sun. We didn't venture farther in because I remembered the Sunflora incident.

While skirting around the edges, we started hearing a low buzzing and looked around, not able to find the source. We walked a little further and the buzzing became louder. It wasn't until Raeda screeched and pointed us in the direction of the sounds that we found the source. It was above us. It was a hive, bigger than a house, and starting to leak Beedrill and Combee.

I looked towards Sheila and yelled, "RUN! Get Kara and Shade in their pokeballs!" before taking off. I looked over to see Azrael release a jet of fire at a dive-bombing Beedrill, hitting it but also hitting the hive. _Shit_. "Azrael! Run now!" I shouted and we took off.

We ran, dodging through the trees. For my pokemon and I, this was just another re-enactment of our drills, though this time we had angry man-sized bees with two-foot long, needle-sharp stingers on their hands chasing us. Sheila was not used to the drills, though she had started practicing with us a week prior.

The smaller Combees were much faster than the Beedrill, and more numerous. "Gilles! Don't try to hypnotize them. They are too many to affect and will overwhelm you. Keep transparent and lick the Beedrills' wings. Don't get too far behind!" I said as we ran. "Raeda, fight off the little ones. You are fast enough to hit many of them quickly. Look out for Sheila as well," I ordered. "Azrael, keep up but make sure the Beedrill don't get too close. Use your fire," I commanded.

Sheila was yelling commands at her pokemon as well. I noticed Lady buzzing around attacking the smaller Combees, like Raeda. Larry was running beside her, sending bolts of electricity towards the Beedrill. I looked back as I was running to see a cloud of bees swarming towards us and fear gripped my heart.

"Raeda!" I yelled. She immediately appeared next to me. "I need you to fly above us and find a stream. Do it as fast as possible. They won't follow us under water. Hurry!" She sped off into the air, faster than I could track. I kept running. I would occasionally swat away a Combee after it stung my arm or back, but Gilles would always be there to finish the job with them. I saw Lady buzzing around Sheila, batting away the smaller bees.

Azrael would stop every couple seconds to send a stream of fire back. It would hit one of the bees, causing it to fall out of the air, but the swarm would evade the stream of fire by spreading out around it. I had to recall Azrael a couple times when he was falling too far behind, and then release him some feet ahead of me.

Even with Azrael's strong flamethrower and Larry's powerful lightning bolts, the Beedrill kept coming. Their exoskeletons were thick and durable, protecting the large insects from harm. Most of them shook off the electricity and flame damage and kept coming for us.

We had been sprinting for our lives for almost three minutes when Raeda finally returned. She buzzed in front of my face for a few seconds and started flying to the right. "Sheila! Follow me this way!" I yelled. I noticed she was having extreme difficulty keeping up with me. Her chest was heaving and she had a look of dismay on her face.

By that time the larger Beedrill were beginning to descent upon us. They were not as fast as their smaller compatriots, but they were still faster than us. It took them a bit longer to catch up, but when they started descending, we were in trouble. To get stung by one of those stingers would mean death. It would slow us down with its effect, and that would leave us vulnerable to the rest of the merciless swarm. I had to dodge a couple of them, but they immediately caught fire as Azrael bellowed and released a point-blank torrent of fire onto them.

Once, one fell from the sky in front of me, on fire and I noticed it twitching. I quickly took out a pokeball and threw it at the man-sized bug. I didn't stop to see if it was caught, but kept running instead. Sheila was having more difficulty keeping up and I yelled, "Hold on Sheila! Raeda is taking us to a stream." She acknowledged what I said with a nod as she ran.

I then saw a Beedrill descend on her, which immediately received a bolt of lightning, and fell, rolling and skidding on the ground. I threw another pokeball and kept running. That happened twice more as we ran. I then noticed Sheila falling behind considerably, and had to slow down myself to keep from losing her.

My heart sank as I saw three Beedrill descend at once towards Sheila. Larry could only focus on one and Lady boldly slammed into another; that left one dangerous Beedrill unopposed and descending upon Sheila. It flew ahead before reaching head height above the ground, right in front of Sheila, whose eyes grew in fright.

It immediately disappeared in a burst of white light as I threw a pokeball at it. The ball hit the ground and wiggled once before breaking apart ten feet behind our fleeing selves. During that time, I thought another pokeball was thrown by Sheila, for I saw a bright light appear over near her. I looked over to see a giant armored Ledian attacking the Beedrill whom was being attacked by Lady, previously. There was no time to rejoice at her evolution; we still had an angry horde chasing us. Raeda led us for another minute before I heard a trickling stream.

I rejoiced inwardly before yelling, "Sheila *huff*, return Lady *huff* and jump in the stream!" I returned Gilles and Raeda and then yelled to Azrael, "Swim with me *huff*, Azrael." I reached the water and leapt into its cold embrace. I heard a muffled splash as Sheila entered the water after me. I swam as best I could, with Azrael following until I grabbed onto Sheila.

We emerged and submerged multiple times, dodging the attacks of the mix of small and large bees. When we finally washed up on the shore, we had traveled several hundred feet down stream. The swarm had retreated back to the hive and we just lay on the shore, heaving and thanking our lucky stars that we had survived.

We very quickly made a fire, which Azrael helped with, and laid our belonging out to dry. That included our clothes. We did not want to get ill from hypothermia so we were forced to leave our pride behind us and rid ourselves of our wet clothing. We sat on opposite sides of the fire with our backs to the warm blaze, giving each other some peace of mind. We had released our pokemon and were huddling together with our respective teams for the added warmth.

After a long and awkward period of silence, I finally said aloud, "I'm happy you're here, Sheila. I'm not sure how I would have taken that alone."

"Same," she replied faintly from the other side of the fire.

"I don't think I told you, but I had a run-in with another swarm before I met you, though that one was of Spinarak. It was terrifying. I would have died if I didn't have my pokemon."

"That's scary. I know I would have died today if you hadn't been there. You literally saved my life with that pokeball trick."

I was silent for a little while. I really had saved her. She finally said with a laugh, "Who would have thought a pokeball could be used for protection when not being used to catch a pokemon." I laughed too. "Thank you. I don't know how I can repay you."

"Hopefully you won't have to," I said. "Though I'm sure we can always disturb another colony of bug pokemon, piss them off, and provide me with a life-or-death situation that you can assist with," I laughed.

"I'd prefer not to," she laughed back. "This forest is so much harder than it's made out to be. I hope we don't have to be here much longer."

"Yeah, me too. I miss the sun a little," I said back. I had found out that the darkness wasn't too uncomfortable for me, but sunlight is a necessity and I felt like I had during the first month I spent in Viridian Forest.

"Kara is beginning to look a little worse for wear. I think sunlight would do her so much good. In that clearing, she looked so much more energetic."

"Gilles doesn't seem to mind the darkness much. Neither does Azrael or Raeda for that matter," I chuckled. "But I'm sure they wouldn't mind a little sunlight."

We both laughed and talked more for a couple hours while our clothes dried and we could put them back on again. It was starting to get late so we made camp and I told her I would be back in a little bit. I took my pokemon and told Raeda to stay with Sheila in case something happened.

I felt safe with Gilles because he was virtually invisible in the low light of the forest. He could look out for me while remaining hidden. I felt safe with Azrael because he was a nine-foot tall fire breathing, earthquake inducing dragon. I would feel safe with Raeda, as well. She was fast enough to warn me with an incredibly loud screech when something dangerous approached.

We made our way back with Azrael leading the way. His seismic skills had developed into a more advanced form of detection. Now he could tell the differences in density of the soil, making him an able tracker. We found our path and followed it back, making sure there were no stray bees.

I found three sets of pokeball parts, shattered by the pokemon breaking free. I eventually found two intact pokeballs with caught Beedrill resting inside. I also tracked down all of the dead bees I could find, taking a couple stingers and all of the venom sacks I could. Beedrill venom was valued for its use in creating both human and pokemon antidotes. I found four dead Beedrill with intact venom sacks, which I harvested.

I also grabbed as many dead Combees as I could; they would be dinner. The Beedrill were too heavy to carry back, so I let Azrael eat his fill from their carcasses. I also let Gilles eat what he wanted.

We arrived back at the camp about an hour and a half later to find Sheila lying down in her tent, talking with her pokemon. She looked at me approaching and said, "It's about time. I was beginning to worry about you. I found out that Shade can translate between my pokemon and me. It's so helpful!" Her newly evolved Ledian buzzed loudly around, now almost as tall as I was, with a red and black armored carapace, blue slanted eyes and a small black dot on her forehead.

I smiled and laid down my harvest. "Sorry for taking so long. Who's hungry? I have some Combee," I said with a smile.

To my surprise, Sheila sat up and said, "Ooh, I'm starving."

"Oh?" I said. "Eating bugs doesn't gross you out? Or any pokemon you saw killed for that matter?"

"Oh shut up. I admit I was being a little oversensitive when I criticized you. Plus, I'm getting sick of these protein bars," she admitted.

We both laughed and I said, "Alright, before we cook these, I need your help. More specifically, your pokemon's help. I need Shade to help Gilles put these Beedrill to sleep so they aren't suffering from boredom for the rest of the way back."

Sheila smiled and agreed. Twenty minutes later, I had registered my Beedrill as 'For Storage' and we were cooking the Combee. We talked and laughed for the rest of the night, trying to put our near-death experience out of mind.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

We emerged into daylight after nearly a month of dim light and coldness. The sun felt warm and the lack of dense trees was delightful. We emerged around midday onto a paved road, bordered by trees, which ran through the forest to the left and right. We vocally rejoiced until we realized we didn't know which way to go.

We eventually made an uneducated guess and went left. Eventually the road curved northward, which was in the direction of Pewter City, so we kept walking in that direction. The road took us north for several hours before we saw a bright red pokeball lit up and rotating above a building. After another round of rejoicing, we ran to the Pokemon Center which marked the end of Viridian Forest and the beginning of Route 2, and checked in our pokemon.

It felt so nice to have a warm shower, clean sweats, and a hot meal. Sheila and I had a wonderful night, eating and talking about our pokemon. After a good night's sleep and after receiving my clothes back from the PokeCenter cleaners, Sheila and I retrieved our pokemon and continued north along Route 2.

Route 2 is about 30 miles long, which takes a while to travel. There were plenty of trees which hosted plenty of pokemon to hunt for food. There were also MANY trainers along the route. Had we possessed weaker-looking pokemon, we might have received more challenges. However, with a nearly ten-foot tall dragon, a creepy ghost that constantly giggled, and an incredibly fast and energetic Ninjask flying around, my potential opponents were too scared to issue a challenge. I was challenged once and during that battle, Azrael bulldozed every opposing pokemon into the ground mercilessly and effortlessly.

Sheila was similarly approached. Her pokemon weren't as formidable-looking as mine, and as a result, she was challenged a couple times. Her pokemon quickly beat the other people's pokemon with little effort and word spread fast down the route not to screw with the guy and girl traveling together with a dragon and one-armed Flaaffy.

We reached Pewter City after two days of walking and a night of camping. We checked into the Pokemon Center and made reservations for a Gym Battle in six days' time. Since this was the first Gym in the Indigo League circuit, several exceptions were made for trainers, as far as lodging accommodations were concerned. Pokemon trainers visiting Pewter City for the first time with the intent to challenge the gym leader (proved by showing the gym date reservation) were allowed a full week's stay at the Pokemon Center for the first week. After that, their weekly allotment returned to normal.

Since it was the first gym in the circuit, it was challenged by the highest amount of trainers. It was the weed-out gym. It was known that the Cerulean City gym was very close in difficulty to the Pewter City gym, and the reason is that the League needed to set a minimum bar on competency. Pewter City was that bar and to officially become part of the Indigo League, a trainer had to earn the Boulder Badge.

In one week's time, I thought to myself, I would be heading to Cerulean City as an official Indigo League contender with a shiny new Boulder Badge. Knowing Sheila, she would be walking beside me wearing one proudly as well. I could barely sleep that first night; my mind danced with visions of glory. My pokemon would rise to the challenge. I would direct their strengths and utilize their talents to lift them high above the standard. They were destined for greatness. I was destined for greatness. We were destined for that one spot that every trainer craned their necks upwards to see; that highest rank to which every pokemon trainer aspired to, yet only one could possess. I would be the Champion and my pokemon would be my team; and the first step was crushing the first gym leader, Aoro Craul.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Author's Note:

Well more fun this chapter. Finally made it to Pewter City! It only took our protagonist two months… Now for a technical point: Since Sheila caught a Ralts, I will take this opportunity to say that I am not using the fairy pokemon type.

And a thank you to Notmi17 for your comments. I always appreciate critiques and support. Thank you everyone for reading so far.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

While I had plenty of time before my gym battle, I also had plenty of errands to run. I had the products of my hunting to sell, as well as pokemon, and supplies to buy. I restocked on medicine and sold my various hunting yields the day after I arrived. After buying supplies, I was left with 10,000Pb from what I had gathered. I also gave my parents a call to notify them of my impending gym match.

I was able to sell the Butterfree and the two Beedrill, but I found no luck selling the Pikachu. Beedrill were useful for their venom, or even as flying pokemon. Butterfree were similarly useful, except instead of venom, they had powder that was useful in the production of sleeping drugs.

Being third tier-evolved pokemon, bug or not, Beedrill and Butterfree were very strong and capable of fighting gym leaders, besides having medically valuable bodily secretions. Since Pewter City saw the most pokemon trainers, there were more people around who were willing to buy a strong pokemon.

I was able to sell the Butterfree for 8,000Pb and the two Beedrill for 7,500Pb each, netting 23,000Pb for all of them. For Pikachu, the problem was that it was Pewter City, home of the rock-type gym leader. Electric pokemon were in low demand in Pewter City, and as a result, I found no buyers. I decided I would wait until I arrived in Cerulean City before I tried to sell Pikachu. It actually made more sense to try and sell the Pikachu in Cerulean; it was the home of the water-type gym leader. That meant that an electric pokemon would be in high demand. I was sure I could find a good deal there.

I placed the Pikachu in long term storage on the League PC. Nowadays, the storage system had earned the nickname, PokeCryo. This is because the pokemon held in storage experienced the flow of time differently, like being in a pokeball. The difference is that, in the PokeCryo, every month that a pokemon spent stored, they only felt about one minute of time pass. However, just like in a pokeball, even though the pokemon didn't _feel _the passage of time the same way, their body still aged at a normal pace.

Due to that limitation, there were laws put in place limiting the amount of time a pokemon could be kept in storage at a given time. I could only house Pikachu in long term storage for three years before I had to keep it out for several months.

The time I spent not haggling for better prices for the fruits of my hunts at 'The Trainer's Trader' I spent outside of city limits with my pokemon. I tended to see other trainers with the same idea. Many of them, like me, were sunbathing on the wide expanses of grass on the outskirts of Route 2. Their pokemon also enjoyed relaxing in the sunlight.

Also like me, the other trainers had no intention of battling. They were simply enjoying being outside with their pokemon. I would occasionally see roughed-up-looking trainers making their way into the city from Route 2. Some trainers had been in the forest for a long time, while others had simply started later.

I was technically only a few months behind schedule, so I wasn't surprised to see so many trainers still coming through Viridian Forest. I was, however, surprised when a little finger tapped me on the shoulder while I was sitting in the grass next to Sheila and my pokemon. It was the first day after I arrived, around six in the afternoon. I looked around to see the kid who challenged me in the activity center back in Viridian City.

"Well look who made it through the forest. I see that monster of yours has grown a bit. I suppose you're here to challenge Aoro, then?" he said to me. I could sense a snide tone in his voice. I nodded in response.

"Well maybe you can watch my match in a few days to see how pokemon fighting is _really_ done," he taunted.

"I don't think I will have a problem, thanks," I said, then looked away. I didn't want to give him a reason to keep talking.

"Hah! Look at this guy! So damn cocky. I'll make a bet with you bud," he said loudly, looking at my pokemon.

I looked around and saw that two other guys stood behind him. They were all smirking. I sighed and said, "What do you want?"

"I'll bet you that I beat Aoro faster than you beat him. I'll bet you 1,000Pb!" He looked serious about the bet.

"You know he DID beat you pretty easily last time, right?" chimed in Sheila from a few feet away.

"Yeah kid. This is a pretty stupid bet on your part," I added.

"This is none of your business, hot stuff," he retorted to Sheila, who scoffed. He turned back to me and said, "And the name's Alex. Is it a bet?" he asked, holding his hand out to shake. _Oh what the hell. _I shook his hand. He laughed and said to his friends, "Looks like it's on! See you in the arena, loser." He then ran off towards town.

"What an arrogant ass. He makes you look humble," said Sheila, angrily.

"Hey now, I've had about enough criticism and badmouthing for the day. Give me a break," I said, sighing. I laid down in the grass.

"Well you know it's your fault, right? You picked a fight with him in Viridian and now he won't let it go," she went on anyway.

I chose to pretend not to hear her. She gave a harrumph and ignored me back. I snuggled up next to Azrael and took a nap before we had to head back into town for the night.

Throughout the next couple days, I watched LeagueWatch and studied Aoro's fighting style. It was nothing new to me, for I had watched that TV program since I was little. However, I wanted a refresher to work with. He always switched between three different starting teams, depending on the levels of the pokemon he was fighting. He then used one of two pokemon that reflected common pokemons' weaknesses.

The three teams were pure rock-type pokemon teams: two separate battles with a Graveler and an Onix; three separate battles with a Geodude, a Graveler, and an Onix; and two separate battles with a Geodude and a Graveler, and an Onix. As much as this was the milestone for getting into the League, Aoro also liked to challenge the more adept trainers to keep things interesting. The last pokemon was either a Lairon or a Pupitar. The fundamental and simple lesson being taught was: with variety comes strength.

The rules were simple as well; you could only switch pokemon out twice, unless your pokemon was knocked out or killed, and you could only use one potion. Also, at any point in the battle, Aoro could demand that you change your pokemon if you had more than one. If that happened, you had to keep that pokemon out on the field for at least thirty seconds. However, he rarely abused that privilege. Directly attacking the pokemon trainer/gym leader or the crowd was against the rules.

On the third day, I paid 20Pb, like five hundred other spectators to watch the battles for the afternoon. The arena was a large field, about the size of a football field, with terrain that was fitting to a rock pokemon's environment. There were large rocks, hills, and a small pond of water.

When Alex's turn came, I paid special attention. Aoro met with Alex and shook his hand before the battle started and they each went back to their respective sides of the arena. Many screens surrounding the arena showed the amount of pokemon each person had left without mentioning what they were or what level. Aoro had four pokeballs showing and Alex had three. _Hmm he's fighting one short. _

Aoro released a Geodude and Alex released his Marill. It was much faster than the slow moving rock pokemon, and after about twenty seconds, it had sprayed the Geodude down to submission. The Geodude was then replaced with a Graveler, who shared a similar fate after about a minute.

"Good use of water moves. Now change your pokemon!" yelled Aoro.

"Alright, go Apollo!" shouted Alex as he returned his Marill and sent out his Skarmory. The metal bird stretched a little before taking off around the arena. Aoro released a fifty-foot long Onix which burrowed. The Skarmory, however, reached it as it was halfway underground and gouged a deep wound with its sharp metal feather.

The Skarmory then proceeded to run around the arena, proving to be too fast of a target for the Onix to hit. Eventually, the Skarmory won when the Onix emerged and the Skarmory ripped its face up with its feathers.

"Alright, the Leader's FINAL pokemon!" yelled the announcer. The gym leader released a Lairon and Alex returned his Skarmory, replacing it with a Machoke. The steel-plated, four-legged dinosaur let out a small roar and charged the human-sized, muscular fighting pokemon. The Machoke held a horribly effective type difference over the Lairon and easily beat it into submission. The final timer on the battle stopped at 7:15.

Alex smiled and received his badge, earning a handshake from the gym leader and his photo taken with his pokemon. I left after that. It was the third day after my arrival, and my pokemon and I had taken a break from drills for the first two days, so I decided it was time to get back to it.

I found Sheila lounging outside of Route 2 in her newly adopted "usual spot." I asked her if she wanted to join in and she said she would rather watch, though I did get her to have Kara spray me and my pokemon with spores.

That day set the precedence for the rest of the week. We trained about four times a day for about two hours each, focusing on toughness for two of the sessions, attacking for the third, and speed for the fourth. The schedule was toughness-attack-speed-toughness.

During toughness drills, I would have Azrael send toned-down waves of dirt at Gilles and Raeda, and they would have to fight through them. Azrael also had to do that under the influence of spores and with Raeda using her leech life ability on him. It was a team effort. I even tried to wrestle with Azrael, but he was much stronger than I. I was happy to know that I could use his weight against him and trip him, despite his size and strength. He wouldn't stay down for long, but I could at least claim some sort of superiority over him other than speed.

As our day for battle approached, Sheila finally started preparing for her fight by drilling with her pokemon. It was nice to have a drilling partner. I even started teaching her some fighting moves; specifically, I practiced basic punches and dodges with her, since I felt awkward trying to teach her wrestling moves.

The final day before my battle, I gave my parents a call to remind them of my appointment date. I then took my pokemon out for a cool down practice session. It was an easy practice with a focus on strategy and a few light sprints. Then, at the end of the day, I addressed my pokemon.

"Alright, guys. Raeda, I'm sorry but you are sitting this one out. The pokemon we're fighting here have extreme type advantage over you." Raeda buzzed angrily and flew in front of my face, giving me the Ninjask equivalent of Growlithe eyes. "Really, Raeda, I'm sorry. I don't want you getting hurt. I know you're fast but that might not be enough. Don't worry; you will get plenty of chances to fight later on." Raeda seemed to do another bug equivalent of a pout, but I ignored it.

"Azrael and Gilles. You've been toughening up for the past month so you should be able to withstand a few hits, though I'm sure YOU won't have a problem with that, Azrael." The dragon beamed happily. "Gilles, I will be relying on your ability to become transparent. They won't be able to hit you while you are like that, and you will be able to use your shadow ball and energy ball moves." Gilles laughed maniacally and nodded his head in agreement.

"Azrael, your earth powers will be invaluable here. We are going to give those pokemon something to fear with your bulldozing ability. They won't stand a chance." Azrael growled and stomped his foot with enthusiasm. "Tomorrow's a big day everybody. All of our training will be put to the test. Let's crush them!" I yelled, holding my fist in front of my face. Azrael let out a low screech that sounded deeper than normal, Gilles let out a terrifying shriek of joy, and Raeda let out a loud, grating insectoid screech.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The noise from the crowd rose and fell like waves. From where I stood in the waiting room, five other trainers sat nervously. My battle was approaching; only two more trainers were ahead of me. I, for the most part, was not nervous, but the suspense of waiting was unbearable. Sheila waited for her turn as well; her battle was right after mine.

Azrael and Gilles waited patiently beside me. At first, they had received a few amazed glances from the other waiting trainers, but the latter had soon fallen victim to their nerves and had retreated into themselves. Other pokemon occupied the room next to their trainers. There were many bugs and grass pokemon, which were expected from trainers coming from Viridian Forest.

Soon I heard a booming rise in volume from the crowd as the announcer called out the defeat of the challenger. One more trainer in front of me. He was sitting on a bench amidst his pokemon, staring at the floor and drenched in sweat. He had a Stantler, a Spinarak, and a Gloom. They were quietly huddled around him.

_That's a trainer destined to lose, _I thought. I frowned and mentally reviewed my own strategy. Sheila walked over and tried to give him a pep talk, but he ignored her for the most part. I frowned again at Sheila; she did not need to sacrifice her state of mind to help a weak trainer. After a few minutes, the crowd roared and the loss of another challenger was announced. The anxious trainer stood up and wobbled out, recalling his pokemon. _I'm next._

That was the longest wait of all, despite its short duration. My excitement was felt by my restless pokemon. "Ok, you two. This is it. Get ready," I said to them. They tensed and took on an aggressive stance before I recalled them. I then did a couple jumps in place to shake out the tension in my limbs.

As I expected, the trainer lost less than three minutes into the fight. The announcer called for the next challenger and I walked through the rock archway into the arena. The first thing I noticed was the layout of the arena itself. Piles of upturned dirt and rocks were scattered around the field. The crowd sounded much, much louder down on the arena grounds than in the waiting room or in the stands.

I walked forward and located my opponent. Aoro Craul stood tall, towering above me. He was dense, muscled, and burly. He wore a pair of dark jeans with a solid black short-sleeved shirt. He wore a pair of black boots and a leather belt. He had short black hair, brown eyes, and a close-trimmed beard on his square jaw. He was very intimidating.

I walked up to him, ignoring the roar of the crowd. I shook his hand, feeling my bones strain under his grip. "Welcome, challenger, to the Pewter City gym," he said in a deep voice. He then held out a small device and said, "Please link your PokeDex with your chosen fighters." I did so and he rattled off, "Alright. Only two pokemon switches and one potion allowed in this battle. Hmm… I see you have two… And fairly strong ones at that. Ok. No targeting the crowd or me and I reserve the right to have you switch your pokemon. That's all. Now take your position at the other side."

I followed his orders silently and made my way through the field, noting different parts of terrain. Next to my designated standing area was a small speaker that corresponded to a microphone on Aoro's ear. It rang out, "Call your first pokemon!" I saw Aoro release two balls at the same time as I released Azrael. I looked at him, nodded, and then stomped.

Azrael mirrored his confirmation and burrowed. The Graveler and the Geodude now making their way over noticed the maneuver and each took different approaches. The Graveler started rolling and the Geodude climbed a rock and waited. The Graveler was moving very fast so I decided to have Azrael attack the Geodude first. It would make the battle easier to take one pokemon out of the fight quickly.

I stomped and slid my foot towards the Geodude, with the side of my foot facing the Geodude instead of the tip of my foot. About five seconds later, the ground erupted beneath the rock upon which Geodude was perched. The little rock with arms looked unafraid but that changed quickly. Azrael used his bulldoze ability upon reaching the surface.

The combination of Azrael's momentum carrying dirt with him and the attack resulted in a more forceful upsurge as the ground particles were already moving forward. The Geodude was hit and knocked out by the wall of dirt that reached well above the five foot rock's height and carried into another rock. He was immediately recalled as Azrael turned to meet the rolling Graveler.

"Good job, Azrael! Keep it up!" I yelled. "Get out of its way!"

Azrael dove to the side but the Graveler was too large and fast. The five-foot, spherical and jagged rock pokemon clipped Azrael's side, tearing some scales off. "Submerge!" I yelled.

Azrael complied and burrowed. I repeated the same maneuver with my stomp and Azrael erupted behind the rolling Graveler. His attack was too slow and his bulldoze only hit air. "Try again, Azrael!" I yelled. He submerged again. We repeated the attack twice more but the Graveler was too fast. Aoro kept up a steady string of commands, which he chose to muffle over the speaker.

Aoro then yelled audibly, "Magnitude!" and the Graveler jumped from his roll and landed with a sharp _whumph,_ pounding all four of his fists into the ground. I felt the earth shake underneath me and Azrael appeared a couple seconds later. He was heaving and stumbling above ground as the Graveler resumed its rolling towards him.

I recalled Azrael and released Gilles. "Gilles, shadow form and then energy ball," I ordered. He became ethereal and rose above the rolling pokemon. He started gathering energy from the plants around him, killing a small bush, and released the ball of natural energy. The charge hit the Graveler with precision and sent it crashing out of its roll. It stopped and threw a few rocks at the formless shadow.

The rocks tore at the shadow somehow, forcing Gilles to shriek. "Start moving, Gilles! Dodge his attacks!" Gilles started weaving around and flying through different parts of the terrain. "Now energy ball again!" I yelled.

As he moved, I could see plants withering and he fired another concentrated burst of plant-life energy at the Graveler. It hit the Graveler square in the forehead and crumbled part of the edifice of jagged rock that adorned it. The Graveler rolled back weakly and I yelled, "Finish him off!"

Gilles raced forward, taking advantage of the lull in Graveler's attacks. Aoro shouted at the Graveler to start rolling, which it obeyed. It was too slow and when Gilles reached it, he sent a fist of shadow crashing into the rock pokemon. The Graveler passed out and rolled to a stop before Aoro recalled him

"That is good adaptation! Now switch pokemon!" Aoro yelled.

"Alright Gilles, way to go. Rest for a bit," I said before I recalled him. I loosed Azrael and said, "Azrael, Onix is big and will burrow. We need to get him to stay above ground so you can use your bulldozing effectively." Azrael stomped and submerged while Aoro released his giant Onix.

The Onix burrowed immediately. Not much happened above ground for a couple minutes after that. Every now and then one would emerge, but then immediately return underground. Eventually, I yelled out to Aoro, "How about we make this an above-ground fight?"

"Sounds like a great idea," he said quickly through the speaker. He then stomped three times while I stomped twice. Both pokemon emerged and backed up towards their respective trainers. "Rock tomb!" shouted Aoro.

"Sandstorm!" I ordered. The Onix flung several small rocks at Azrael, many of which hit. His sandstorm swirled around him and I ordered, "Fling some at his eyes!" before small jets of soil were released at the Onix's large face. Azrael's sandstorm grew to full strength, reaching out twenty feet in all directions. His position was hidden within the cyclone of dirt and sand, accompanied by the sand caked in the Onix's eyes, making it easy for the Onix's attacks to miss.

"Enough of that! Get in close, find him, and constrict!" Aoro ordered the giant rocky snake. The Onix surged forward toward the storm.

As soon as it reached the edge of the storm I yelled, "Bulldoze!" Part of the storm added to the attack as a fifteen-foot high wave of earth hit the Onix full force. The force of the wall of dirt not only stopped the heavy rock behemoth, it tossed it backwards. "Again! Don't stop until it passes out!" I yelled.

Before the Onix could regain its composure and rise up, another earthy groundswell pounded him into the ground. Then another. After the fourth, Aoro returned his Onix and said, "Again, good job, trainer. Switch your pokemon!"

I did so after saying to Azrael, "That was spectacular! Take a small rest." Gilles appeared in front of me and I said, "Shadow form." His body became transparent and Aoro released what I was afraid of: the Pupitar.

The rock pokemon hovered an inch above the ground and was six feet tall. It was a Larvitar encased in a strong rock shell, giving it exceptional defensive capabilities. Its shell was capable of opening up and allowing the Larvitar inside to bite its foe. I was afraid of that because the Pupitar would be learning to use dark-type moves, which were especially effective against ghosts.

"Gilles, keep your distance and use energy ball. You've got one minute to keep him away and Azrael will finish the job," I said to him and he nodded. Gilles turned and his face grew. I didn't tell him to try to hypnotize the Pupitar, for dark-type pokemon were effective at clouding any psychic attacks.

He started drawing in energy from the foliage and releasing the stored energy at the Pupitar, hitting it over and over. The attacks were getting weaker, for the foliage in the arena was becoming sparse. "Fly above it and keep out of range until I can switch you out, Gilles," I ordered.

He obeyed and started flinging shadow balls weakly against the Pupitar. After a little while, Aoro yelled out, "Dark pulse!" The Pupitar loosed a wave of darkness at Gilles, who was now without cover in the open air. My eyes widened as I cursed for not realizing it.

The torrent of darkness surged into Gilles and he screeched. "Get into cover, Gilles! Weave through the terrain!" He weakly left the air, dodging another pulse of dark energy. He then started weaving through the trees, dodging dark barrages. He managed to stay away from further harm until the minute was up and I replaced him with Azrael.

"Alright, like we practiced. Submerge and surge! Go!" I commanded my dragon. He disappeared beneath the surface of the earth and exploded underneath the Pupitar with a wave of dirt not long after. The Pupitar was tough, though, and was able to survive the attack. It moved forward and rammed Azrael with its horned shell, which drew some blood on Azrael's stomach. "Bulldoze again!" I yelled.

Azrael threw the Pupitar away from him with a surge of earth, knocking him into a rock. The Pupitar rose again, though this time weakly. "Again!" I urged. With one more attack, a rocky surge of dirt slammed into the Pupitar, leaving a thin crack down its hardened shell, and knocking it out.

That was followed by a screech from Azrael as he burst into white light. I, and everyone in the crowd, watched Azrael's form shift and height grow. His screeching became a high-pitched roar and the light died down, leaving a thirteen-foot tall Gabite standing where the Gible previously was.

I could hardly remember a time I was so happy. I was actually happier about Azrael evolving than about winning the match. Azrael now towered over me with a deep red coloration running from his lower jaw to his lower stomach. His strong legs now supported a body that looked more like a dragon as opposed to a fish with arms.

I let Azrael bask in the glory of his moment. I let him hear the crowd roaring as I walked up to Aoro and he pinned a badge on my lapel. "Fantastic work, trainer. That dragon of yours has a mean bulldoze. I haven't seen such a powerful ground wave from a pokemon since I saw Viridian gym leader Taylor's team. Keep it up, kid. Stop by the awards desk to receive your cash award and to register your pokemon. Welcome to the league!"

Aoro swatted me hard on the back and motioned me to the exit before placing his pokemon in the gym medical machine. I yelled out to Azrael, "Azrael! Great job! We gotta go now!" He looked over and I returned him to his ball. I was worried about him now, despite my pride and happiness for him. There was no telling how his demeanor and attitude had changed with his evolution.

I walked out of the arena and followed Aoro's instructions. My pokemon who competed were registered, I received the T.M. _Rock Tomb_, and I received 2,000Pb in rewards. That made up for the 1,000Pb it cost to challenge Aoro.

I decided to wait near the victor's claims desk for Sheila. I knew she would win; she had already beaten the rock gym leader from Hoenn. My parents gave me a call and congratulated me, sounding worried about my newly evolved starter. I assured them everything was fine. After I hung up the phone, I researched Gabite on my PokeDex.

It was no surprise when Sheila walked through and collected her rewards. We congratulated each other and she gave me a hug for winning my first gym battle. We both left the gym, feeling very good about ourselves. As soon as I stepped out of the gym doors, I ran into Alex. _Crap, what was my time?_

"Well look at our cocky friend now. Not so cocky now, eh? I believe you owe me 1,000Pb," the insolent kid said to me. "Don't try to pretend we didn't have a bet. I have witnesses and your time was 8:05 while mine was 7:15. Pay up." There was a large group of people standing around; presumably people from the audience who wanted to see another show.

I fished out my winnings and sorted out half, leaving me no more money than I had started with before challenging Aoro. I glared at him the entire time. I handed him the money and told him to get lost.

"Haha. Not so smart now, are you? I knew you would take longer just by looking at type differences. That WAS the point of this gym battle, you know. The lesson? Maybe you shouldn't act like you're so much better than everyone, eh?" he taunted. Some _ooh_'s were heard in the small crowd.

My grip tightened. Sheila put a hand on my shoulder and said, "Don't. He's just trying to rile you up. Don't let him; he's not worth it." I looked at her, smiled, and then punched him in the nose. A collective gasp rang out amongst the crowd. Alex fell to the ground with a cry and Sheila slapped me in the arm before stomping off.

"You asshole! You'll pay for that!" He squeaked as he stood up. His friends tried to calm him down as he took out a pokeball.

"Hey, what's going on out here!" came a yell from inside. A gym trainer was approaching and I walked away through the crowd.

Alex snarled and yelled, "This isn't finished! You're not getting away with that!" I ignored him as I walked away toward Sheila. The people and Alex scattered as the gym trainer emerged from the building.

"I hope you feel better about yourself, you idiot. Remember what happened last time you were a jerk to him? His petty anger followed you here. This is only going to make things worse and you will only have yourself to blame," Sheila chastised.

"Can we talk about this later? I just want to enjoy the rest of my day. I got my first gym badge and I gave that little twit some of what's coming to him. I'll deal with the consequences later," I said back.

"Don't expect to avoid this with me. I'm not going to forget. I'm letting loose tomorrow; count on it," Sheila said with a huff.

I walked with her to the Pokemon Center, with a smile on my face. I did feel better after that. Hopefully, but improbably, Alex would leave me alone and would learn a lesson about being a little douche. Right now, though, I felt good and I wanted a hamburger before bringing my pokemon out to Route 2 for praise and celebration.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

My breath was steady, which defied how nervous I really was. Azrael's Greatball was gripped tightly in my palm. Sheila understood my tentativeness with letting Azrael out. Pokemon have been known to change when they evolved, in more ways than physical. Dragons in particular become more fierce, determined, and aggressive.

Sheila came to support me in my first interaction with Azrael since his evolution. We walked out along Route 2 until I found a Pidgey, which I shot down with an arrow. Gilles and Raeda accompanied me while Kara and Shade followed Sheila. After I retrieved the dead bird, I released Azrael fifteen feet away.

Azrael shook his head and looked around, no doubt testing his newly heightened senses. "Azrael, catch!" I yelled and tossed the Pidgey at him. Much quicker than I was used to, his head jabbed forward and snatched the bird from the air. "You look amazing! How's your new form feel, bud?"

Azrael's eyes locked with mine and he let out a roar, scattering birds in trees hundreds of feet away. Instead of flinching, I marveled at the change in his vocal prowess. His new roaring was vastly more intimidating than the screeching of his base form.

Azrael then dipped low, putting his claw-tipped finned arms along the ground and lowering his head to around my head's level. He then approached me, almost looking like a Persian stalking its prey as he slunk towards me. In that moment, something changed in my perception.

I noticed the rippling movement of his new muscles as he supported his weight. I noticed the flowing movement of his older, larger muscles which had expanded during his evolution. I saw the steady rising and falling of the breath in his chest. I peered into the deep yellow and black pools of Azrael's eyes and ceased to feel fear.

Despite his movement towards me, which could have been mistaken for an aggressive motion, I looked upon Azrael with pride and admiration. I had helped Azrael get to this point. Perhaps it was the lack of fear I felt that kept Azrael from turning on me. Perhaps it was the strength I showed him; the strength of will to not back down, look away, or cringe at the sight of a predator as powerful as he, moving towards me as a predator moves to its prey.

Nothing had changed for me. My pride of Azrael had risen but we were still a team and more; we were still a family. We would still take on the world together. Nothing would stop us.

Azrael stopped a few inches from my face and looked me in the eyes. He exhaled sharply from his nostrils, blowing my hair back. I reached up and ran my hand down his scaly, taught neck, feeling the new bands of muscle that had appeared.

As I slid my hand down the side of his neck, Azrael's eyes closed and his breath was even. I eventually dropped my hand and his head rose to full height. I turned around and looked at Sheila, a large smile stretching across my face and a look of determination in my eyes. Sheila wore a look of terrified apprehension.

Sheila's head suddenly cocked to the side and she looked at Shade. She then looked at me and said, "Shade told me that Azrael says thank you."

I looked up at Azrael, gleaming, and said, "So who's up for a hunt?" A loud roar and a scared Sheila later, we were bounding into the clusters of trees on Route 2.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

On the second day after our gym battle, I gathered some supplies from the store with my earnings from Viridian Forest and Route 2. I pondered the use of a translator for my pokemon and myself but decided against it. Sheila had a psychic pokemon so spending a lot of money on a translator would be superfluous.

I had read about Mt. Moon and I knew that no road was ever cut through the mountain range. Like Viridian Forest, Mt. Moon was a quintessential challenge that every trainer had to conquer. There were, however, guides that could be purchased. Most trainers took that route, for it was very easy to get lost in the dark maze of caverns and tunnels that ran through Mt. Moon.

While there was no road, lighted checkpoints aided many a trainer who decided to traverse Mt. Moon without a guide. Besides those checkpoints, the only other forms of assurance to trainers that progress was being made were the many mountain passes that the tunnels led to. Some trainers opted out of traveling through the mountain, and instead decided to climb the mountain itself.

Mountain forests pervaded Mt. Moon's exterior, which gave trainers, mountain climbers and spelunkers alike a much-needed respite. However, those forests were home to many different types of pokemon not found near cities. The woods held different dangers.

Sheila and I decided to go through the mountain instead of over it. After some thought and discussion, we decided not to take a guide. We would need to teach at least one of our pokemon the ability to create a steady source of light.

That led us to a BioTech store in which we found the T.M. _Flash_. Of Sheila's and my pokemon, all of hers and Raeda were the only ones who could use it. The price of _Flash_ was fairly cheap, as it was almost essential for pokemon trainers passing through Mt. Moon. We both paid for a few more nights at the Pokemon Center and used the time to train our pokemon to use _Flash_.

Sheila taught the move to all of her pokemon, while I only taught it to Raeda. After those few days, our pokemon could shine a dull light consistently for several hours at a time with little rest between. It would have to do.

We made our way towards the eastern edge of Pewter City where the trainer road began, and found an interesting sight. There was a large crowd of trainers standing around near the trainer information booth set up at the edge of Route 3. I walked up to a random trainer to find out what the big deal was and a found a simply-dressed trainer with jeans and a t-shirt.

"Excuse me, what is going on here?" I asked.

The trainer turned and looked at me, and a look of awe appeared on his face. "You're the trainer whose dragon evolved, aren't you? I remember you from Aoro's battle."

"Y-yeah, I am. It's not that big of a deal though," I said with embarrassment. "So what's going on?"

"I thought it was amazing! I wouldn't want to fight you. But anyway, there's a problem with the guides. Someone let loose all of the guiding Zubats and stole their pokeballs. All of these people want to buy a guide through the Mt. Moon but can't," he informed me.

"Well, it sucks for them. Maybe they should try to get through the mountain without a guide then," I said apathetically.

"Well some of us don't have a pokemon to teach _Flash _to, unfortunately. Or we just don't have anyone to travel with. And we can't just stay here because the PokeCenter is expensive," he said, downcast.

"Why don't you come with us?" said a high-pitched and insufferably nice voice I had come to recognize as Sheila's. "Your company would make for more enjoyable traveling."

"You really mean it? I can come with you guys? I don't have a whole lot of money; I spent it on supplies and medicine. I can't pay you a whole lot," sputtered the kid.

"Oh don't worry about that. Pay us with your company. We would enjoy having you with us, right?" she said, looking at me.

"Sure. What's your name?" I said, with a mental sigh.

"I'm Chris, nice to meet you both," he said happily. Sheila and I introduced ourselves and the three of us headed out onto Route 3. When we were well past city limits, I released my pokemon and my two companions followed suit. Every time I saw Chris looking at Azrael, it was with fear, admiration, and awe. His own pokemon - a Psyduck, an Ariados, and a Zoroark - were terrified of Azrael.

Route 3 was a long path through the progressively tortuous foothills of Mt. Moon. The hills were inhabited by coniferous forests and hardier pokemon than outside of Viridian Forest. We often fought and ate Noctowl, Bidoof, Aipom, and Sentret. We became fond of the nightly howling of Poochyena packs. And we huddled up with heavier jackets around hearty campfires.

Chris became aware of my daily drills and quickly joined in with his own pokemon. He seemed eager to improve in any way. Our days were spent training, hunting, and chatting as we walked towards Mt. Moon. I always walked near to Azrael, preferring his warm aura over that of my companions.

It took us four days to reach Mt. Moon at our pace. Chris commented at one point, "You guys move really slowly. If you didn't drill so much, we would reach Mt. Moon in half the time."

"Drilling keeps us in shape, keeps us disciplined, and keeps our senses sharp. I won't sacrifice that to arrive a couple days early," I responded. He didn't respond but he never seemed to calm his sense of hurriedness.

Before we entered the cave, outside of which was a sign marking its identity, I called my parents and notified them I would probably be off the grid for a while. They weren't happy but agreed it was inevitable.

"Alright, Raeda, time to put those lighting skills to the test now, huh?" I said to my flying bug as I patted her on the head. She buzzed happily and her wings began to glow as they fluttered. Larry's tail lit up like a beacon as well. As we entered the cavern and left the sunlight behind, the dark and rocky atmosphere embraced us and I felt oddly comfortable. The darkness was just another obstacle we had to pass.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The main problem with traveling inside of a mountain is the lack of time perception. I had a watch, but simply checking the time offered no help in giving me perspective. At all hours of the day, we were bathed in darkness. Our only light source was our pokemon's lights.

We had to climb, descend, swim, and jump over rocky and watery underground terrain. We were constantly being plagued by hordes of Zubat, which would often attack in groups of ten or twelve. Luckily, there were plenty of us to hold them at bay. Even when the swarms would reach into the twenties, we all worked together to fend them off and avoid their venomous bites. Our pokemon would attack them, and I would use my knife to defend myself, for they were much too fast for me to use my bow.

We also had to watch our step because Geodude naturally blended in with the rocky terrain. We also had to deal with Diglett and Sandshrew. The constant threat of attack kept us on our feet.

Sheila kept us positive with her consistently cheerful nature. Chris was talkative and only encouraged her to talk and spread her positivity. He talked about how he was from Saffron City and the many different things there were to do in the city. He talked about his family tradition of pokemon training. His father had earned five badges and his mother had earned six. They had met as trainers and fell in love while in the circuit.

Chris's starter, Zoroark, was caught as a Zorua. He had followed what had appeared to be another young boy into the woods east of Saffron and was attacked. His father came to his rescue and caught the illusionist pokemon. Chris then made friends with the Zorua, and a couple years later, he graduated and started the circuit by taking a flight to Viridian City.

Besides his unending chatter, the other things that remained consistent inside the mountains were the wide tunnels, the darkness, and the pokemon attacks. We occasionally ran into Golbat, man-sized bats with mouths that could swallow young people whole; Dugtrio, which were a trio of Diglett biologically attached together; and Graveler. Those posed difficult challenges, but we were able to defeat them and continue on.

On two occasions we came to a dead end, and Azrael was able to detect the path continuing on the other side of the wall, indicating a cave-in. We spent one week traversing the tunnels before we came to the first checkpoint. It was a flat area with wooden benches and electric lighting, powered by a generator.

Imagine our surprise when we found Alex relaxing on a bench with his Machoke standing guard. We walked in ready to fight the Machoke and Alex recalled him before Azrael ate him. He was accompanied by the two boys he was with at the Pewter City gym.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. It seems someone's lost. You see, we are here right now, so you all can just shove off," he said.

"Oh really? I was under the impression these checkpoints belonged to no one and were available to everyone," I retorted.

"You probably heard wrong. We are here and we're not sharing," he said.

"We are coming in whether you want us to or not. Try to stop us. There won't be a gym trainer to help you this time," I threatened. Azrael's upper lip curled and his growling reverberated off the walls. Alex started reaching for his pokeball and found it missing. It was hanging behind his head in midair.

When Alex started panicking, it hit him in the back of the head and flew in circles around his forehead. It the embedded itself in the ceiling. Gilles appeared beside me shortly after, laughing. "I'm going to make this really simple for you, Alex. I'm coming in with my friends. If you have anything to say about it, I'll have Azrael bury you into the ceiling with your pokeball. If you want to lose again in a pokemon battle, we can do it outside of these caverns. I'm not in the mood."

"You bet your sorry ass I'm going to challenge you again!" Alex said, climbing up the side of the wall to reach his ball. We walked into the room, pushing past his two companions. Alex eventually released his Natu, who flew up and dislodged the ball from the ceiling. He sat on the other side of the cavern checkpoint with his friends, talking in a low voice.

"Maybe we should go soon… I don't like the way they are talking and looking over at us," said Sheila, concerned.

"Good idea. There's not much here anyway," I replied. We then left after spending less than half an hour at the checkpoint. At least we knew we were on the correct path now.

We spent another four days traversing the tunnels, during which we could always see in the distant tunnels, a low light which was probably created by the light of Alex's party. We never ran into them again, but I always had the feeling they were close.

On the fourth day, we emerged into a sunlit clearing. It was a valley that wound between many slopes of the mountain. We decided to follow the valley, bordered by forest, until we found another entrance into the mountain.

As the sun was setting, we heard a loud holler in the distance behind us. We looked back to see Alex and his two companions running towards us. We stopped and waited for them, not putting any effort into socializing with them. They stopped in front of us, breathing hard, and Alex said, "It's time now. I'm going to show you how a real trainer battles." _For the love of…_

"Fine, you dense asshole. If the only way to shut you up is to take your money, then so be it. Azrael, tear his pokemon apart." Azrael stepped up between us and Alex released his Marill. The Marill bounced a couple times before releasing a small bullet of water at Azrael's face. As he blinked it away, he was all of a sudden hit on both sides.

A Hitmonlee, humanoid and lanky, ran over and kicked him hard on his left side, leaving a trail of ice in its foot's wake. A Luxio head-butted Azrael in his right side. Immediately, Azrael roared and I shouted, "You cheating, cheap piece of trash!"

I didn't notice Sheila or Chris shouting similar reprimands. The Hitmonlee was suddenly thrown from where it stood next to Azrael and the Luxio was body slammed by a large armored Ledian. Azrael, rather than being hurt by the ice attack, was visibly pissed off. "Bulldoze!" I yelled, almost as angry as he.

A wave of dirt, twenty feet high surged towards the Marill. It was too large to dodge and the Marill was hit hard. The wave did not stop. Azrael's power had increased significantly with his evolution and the bulldozing earth coursed right into Alex, hitting him hard as well. He was flung onto the ground and his Marill landed beside him, unconscious.

Two battles raged beside me but I did not pay attention to them. Alex had actually tried to injure my Azrael. Alex had tried to hurt him with a cheap shot. "Sandstorm, Azrael!" I yelled. Alex rose and returned his Marill. He released his Machoke with a look of fear on his face. I stomped twice when Azrael became shrouded from sight in particles of sand.

I then slid my foot forward sharply. The Machoke ran towards the storm and was lifted into the air by an emerging dragon. "Quicksand!" I yelled. The area around the prone Machoke softened and collapsed, bringing the Machoke down with it into the swirling sand tomb. The Machoke yelped in fright as a bulldozing wave of earth approached him, while unable to move. He was returned before the earthy flood hit him.

A Skarmory appeared next. It quickly met the same fate as it was pounded into the ground with waves of dirt. Finally, a Natu was released. I called Azrael back but did not return him to his ball. I released Raeda and told her, "Use your shadow ball to stop it from teleporting. Use your speed to get in fast and scratch it up."

Raeda flew forward, displaying an impressive feat of speed, and sent shadowy bolt after another at the blinking bird. Raeda was able to get in fast and scratch the bird's wings multiple times. Finally the bird fell from the air and disappeared into its pokeball before it hit the ground.

The two battles being fought around me ended soon after. During that time, I released Gilles. Azrael was snarling at Alex but I put a hand on his side. I whispered to Gilles and he disappeared into a mass of shadows. I then walked towards the trash who tried to hurt my pokemon in cold blood.

"H-hey! You deserved that. W-what are you doing!?" he stuttered out and backed up a little.

"I may have deserved it but my pokemon did NOT," I fumed as I approached. He backed up a little more to find his retreat impeded by a shadowy force. Gilles then laughed quietly in his ear. I saw him go white with fear.

I walked right up to him and punched him square in the jaw. He fell to the floor and tried to get back up. As soon as he did, I punched him again, right in the nose. When he didn't immediately get back up again, I lifted him up by his collar and said in a low and even tone, "If you _ever_ try to hurt my pokemon like that again, I'll kill you. Now pay up you piece of trash."

He struggled to get his wallet out while I held him by the collar. He held out 1,250Pb and I took it from him while letting go of his lapel. He fell to the ground again. I walked away, giving his two companions, who had just lost their battles from the look of it, a glare of warning.

"If you ever want to battle honorably, I would be happy to take your money again," I called back as I rejoined my companions. We all walked on in silence, Raeda perched on my back, Gilles flying above me giggling, and Azrael following beside me. We stopped for the night when we started seeing stars, and made a fire.

We finally discussed what happened, then. Chris chimed in first, saying, "Rey, my Psyduck, used his psychic powers to beat that Hitmonlee into submission. He didn't do so well against his Murkrow, though. Pierce, my Zoroark was able to take care of the rest. I can't believe they would try to harm your pokemon like that. What did you do to piss him off?"

"He punched Alex in the face when he taunted him about losing a bet. He also started it all when he let his pokemon mess with Alex's at a PokeCenter in Viridian and acted apathetic about it. I agree, though. I didn't expect him to sink to that low," piped in Sheila.

"You aren't going to chastise me about my conduct this time?" I asked Sheila, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know how I would react if someone legitimately tried to hurt my pokemon out of spite," I'll let this one go. Speaking of punching him in the face, I haven't forgotten. You shouldn't have done it in the first place. This probably would not have happened if you had just walked away. Short term satisfaction rarely beats long term wisdom and appreciation," said Sheila.

I sighed. I knew she had a point. I had put Azrael's health, even life, in danger because I gave into my short term desires. "You're right. I see that now."

"I hope so. I don't want to put my pokemon through this again," she said.

"Well, I think I would have handled the situation similarly," said Chris. "But I don't think it was worth it this time. Hopefully this scared him enough to make him drop it."

"Hopefully…" Sheila and I said together.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The next night was the second night we spent in the valley. It will forever ring in my head and haunt my dreams. We had camped outside of the entrance of the cavern, choosing to spend the night outside on the grass instead of inside the dark and rough mountain tunnel. It was a warm night with a bountiful harvest from our hunts.

We were all awoken in the middle of the night by Raeda, who flew in and let loose a loud but muffled screech inside each of our tents. We clambered out of our respective tents to hear a cacophony of howling in the night. Azrael was standing at the edge of the camp, looking out to the north. Gilles was hovering beside him, looking in the same direction.

Kara's and Chris's pokemon were lined up and looking out as well. The howling was spread out and growing closer. I grabbed my bow and about ten cartridges and waited beside Azrael. The howling was deep and loud, making me worry that I was listening to Mightyena, the evolved form of Poochyena.

After a few minutes of the howling growing closer, the howling on the northeaster side turned to barking and growling, loud enough to be heard by us. That meant the pack was close. "Everyone, prepare to defend yourselves," I called out.

The growling and barking carried with it occasional yelps and whimpers until that area of noise completely fell silent. The howling to the northwest continued to grow louder. "Something is driving the packs south," I said. I extended a couple arrows.

The howling grew loud enough that we could hear other noises as well; sounds of canine grunting and growling. Suddenly, several hundred feet in front of us, we saw bursts of light. The howls turned to snarling and yelping. The lights flickered and flared, sending us eerie silhouettes of dogs fighting a large figure.

"Azrael, Gilles, Raeda, let's go! That thing is going to head straight for us. Best we surprise it instead of the other way around!" I ordered and we lunged forward.

"H-HEY! What are you doing! Come back!" yelled Sheila.

"You heard me, Sheila! I'm not going to be ambushed by whatever this is! I'm going!" I yelled back as I rushed forward.

I didn't know whether they followed me at first or not. I just ran ahead. "Raeda, I need some light," I said to my Ninjask. She lit a small area around her which allowed me to see the carnage when I approached. Multiple dark canine bodies littered the floor. I could smell burnt flesh. I saw a large figure diving in and out of the group of unidentifiable dogs. I then heard a whimper to my left and looked down to see a smaller pup trapped underneath a fallen adult.

I quickly took out a pokeball and threw it at the sound; I saw a flash of light as it disappeared. In that moment, I saw the canine that lay on top of it, er, rather half of it. The front end of the animal was missing. I looked over to the rest of the pack and saw one of the animals lifted off the ground by a shadowy flying creature. It was too dark to make out any detail at that distance.

I picked up the ball, still wiggling, and sprinted back to the campsite. "Come on Azrael, Gilles, Raeda! We need to get in the cave. Whatever it is, it's airborne," I yelled out. Sheila and Chris were running towards me and I yelled the same to them. They turned and ran to the opening in the mountain side. During my sprint, the pokeball in my hands burst open, hurting my hand a bit, but I caught the pup and ran with it in my hands.

I could hear Azrael behind me and I could see Gilles and Raeda in front of me. I was about fifty feet from the entrance of the mountain tunnel when I heard the barking and yelping stop. I received a burst of adrenaline and sprinted the remaining distance, telling Azrael to submerge. My hand burned from the explosion of the pokeball and the pup whimpered and let loose a high-pitched bark.

I ran into the opening of the cave which was about twenty-five feet high. I slid to a stop and shoved the pup into Chris's hands. "H-hey! What's this?" He asked scared and surprised.

"It's a survivor! Get ready! Gilles get ready to hypnotize. Raeda, get ready shine light on whatever the hell it is," I ordered.

We waited a couple seconds. Soon we heard the sound of heavy flapping and screeching. It sounded similar to a Golbat except much deeper. Suddenly, the opening of the cavern was filled with the flying body of a Golbat. It was twice as large as a normal one and that was not the only thing I instantly saw different about it.

On top of it being nearly ten feet tall, the muscles where its wings met its body and those around its jaw were bulging and pulsing. Its eyes were bloodshot and red. Its voice was deep and erratic.

Gilles tried to hypnotize it, but his attempt failed and Raeda buzzed around, trying to stay away from its large maw. Attacks flew from behind me, hitting the Golbat and causing it to cry out. Its screech reverberated around the tunnel and all of a sudden, I was surrounded by Bidoof.

My first instinct was to start attacking each of them. They warped and twisted into Sentret. I instantly realized it was hitting me with a confusion ray. The problem was that it was erratic. It was not focused on any one thing. But in the meantime, the Golbat had flown down into the cavern closer. I quickly stomped and slid my foot widely forward.

An eruption of earth hit the warped bat and sent it crashing into the ceiling. "Good, Azrael. Now Flamethrower!" I ordered. He released a torrent of fire at the Golbat, causing it to screech some more. "Gilles, try to shadow ball it. Stay away from its mouth!"

The Golbat locked on to my voice and sent a supersonic wave at me. My ears exploded in a high-pitched ringing. I collapsed under the pain, holding my head. I suffered for seconds but it felt like minutes before my hearing returned, and I looked up to see Raeda latched on to the Golbat's forehead. She was digging furiously into its skull, preventing it from issuing its mind-controlled supersonic wave.

I struggled to get up, noticing my hands were covered in blood where they had grasped my ears. The Golbat tried to shake her off while non-physical attacks reigned down upon it. Magical leaves flew from behind me, bouts of fire licked at the Golbat's feet, shadow balls and lighting struck underneath the Golbat, and Zoroark was attempting to warp its reality with little luck.

It looked like we had the Golbat under control before it suddenly smashed its forehead fitfully against the wall of the cavern causing Raeda's screeching to become pained. She fell off its head, stunned. In the half of a second she spent falling to the ground, the Golbat lunged. I saw it happen and I shrieked, "RAEDA!"

I watched Raeda, helplessly, disappear into the Golbat's maw. Even as I clawed for her pokeball on my lanyard, I heard her terrified screeching grow muffled. I also heard the sickening crunch as the Golbat closed its jaws. I heard the sound, which haunts my dreams to this day, of my third pokemon shrieking in pain as it was eaten.

I pressed the button to return Raeda on her pokeball and nothing happened. Through watery, clouded vision I saw my adversary. Azrael was roaring furiously and Gilles was shrieking. "BULLDOZE!" The Golbat was thrust into the cave wall. I notched an arrow and sunk it deep into the Golbat's mouth. It shrieked and turned towards me, just to get hit with another wave of earth. Another arrow embedded itself in the Golbat's mouth.

That process repeated three more times before it slid down the hill of dirt Azrael had created, jerking spastically. I loosed more arrows into it. I kept shooting it after it stopped moving. I could hardly see my target anymore through the haze of tears. I kept shouting for Raeda and for the Golbat to release her. I ran out of arrows and stood there with my head hanging, tears dripping from my face.

Behind me Sheila was crying and Chris was hanging his head. Gilles had retreated into shadow and was quiet. Azrael was making a rumbling groan that indicated his own mourning. Our vision left us as our pokemons' lights went out, leaving me standing in darkness above the corpse of my little bug's murderer.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Author's Note:

Not going to lie, this last part was hard to write. I had this written in from the beginning as plot points but after writing about Raeda and giving her a lovable personality, I developed an attachment to her that made me feel like shit when I had to ring the bell of fate. Well, now the protagonist has to overcome sadness, one of the inevitable feelings a trainer will encounter. Also, now I have to go cry in a corner and drink myself to sleep. See you all next time.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I stood over the lifeless corpse of the gargantuan bat but my mind was elsewhere. Rather, my consciousness was disconnected with the physical reality. Time passed and my mind raced. _Raeda can't be dead. It's too soon. She didn't deserve to go so soon. I only had her for two months! My little bug… is gone. Never again would I hear her happy buzzing. Never again would she cheer me up with her positive demeanor. She's not coming back. _

I don't remember moving from the cave to my tent. I don't remember falling asleep, or laying in my tent, waiting for sleep to take me. My tumultuous mind never wavered when my body transitioned from being awake to asleep. My despair followed my thoughts into my subconscious, replaying Raeda's demise over and over again. As I slept, her screams intensified. Every time, after reliving the incident, her screams grew louder and followed into the next replay as background noise. Her shrieking eventually grew so loud that I awoke to find myself sitting up in my tent screaming.

Gilles' shadowy mass rested in a corner of the tent. Azrael was lying down outside of the tent with his tail curled inside of the opening and extending next to me. It was early in the morning, as evident by the low light and distant chirping.

I noticed movement outside as Sheila was no doubt roused by my outburst and had come to check on me. I heard a low growl come from Azrael and she halted her approach. "If you need anything, we will not be far. We will be right out here," she said aloud.

_Need anything? I need Raeda._ Reality came into focus and I broke down. I wept in my palms, sitting in my tent. I felt movement and through blurred vision, I saw Azrael's tail leave the tent and his head and neck snake through the opening, coming to a rest beside me. My dragon's eyes were downcast and his breathing was labored. To an ignorant viewer, Azrael might seem tired, but I knew that he was depressed.

I bent over and wrapped my arms around his neck. He stayed with me for over two hours and we both mourned Raeda. During that time, Gilles remained a dense cloud of shadow in the corner and he would occasionally make a low humming, sigh-like noise. Perhaps ghosts could form legitimate attachments, even if they were the malicious remains of traumatic death.

I hardly felt the hunger gnawing at my stomach over the emptiness I felt in my heart. After grieving with Azrael for those hours, Azrael started noticing the loud growling coming from my stomach. At that point, he lifted his neck, while I continued to hold on, and carried me out of the tent. He lowered me down onto a log next to the small fire, beside which sat Sheila and Chris.

The warmth of the fire was noticeable in the cold temperatures of the late autumn morning, despite the numbness I felt. Upon my release, Sheila made a move to come closer to me. Azrael's lip curled again, keeping her away from me and letting me have my space.

Gilles moved from my tent and came to me shortly after with a partially burned portion of Pidgey meat. He dropped it in my hands and at that moment, I felt a burning pain in my palm. I switched the meat to my other hand and inspected my injured palm. A pattern of burns spread over my palm, which confused me. I expected cuts or bruising from the pokeball explosion; not burns.

While I observed my hand, I heard a high-pitched whine, followed by a growl below me on my left side. I looked down to see a canine pup pulling at my pant leg. It was no Poochyena; it was a Houndour. The dark flame dog looked up at me with fiery eyes. It took a moment for me to make the connection. It must have burnt me when I carried it away. We stared at each other for a minute. The Houndour stood about two feet tall, had black fur, a red stomach and muzzle, white bands around his four ankles, two white ridges on its back, and a skull head plate. It also had a short tail and dark red eyes.

Sheila noticed us and said, "He ran off when we first came back to the camp, but he returned not an hour later and lay down beside your tent. He slept there all night.

I looked up at Sheila and finally made eye contact. I noticed streaks in her dirty face, under her eyes. I looked at her signs of sorrow and remembered, again. My gaze fell to the ground and held its position. Soon after, Azrael's large claw came into view and lifted my chin up.

Azrael's head was held high with dignity. "Shade tells me that Azrael says to mourn Raeda, but to stay strong and persevere. We cannot lose sight of our dream. We will grow stronger and make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else." I nodded and ran my hand down Azrael's neck.

"Just give me a little time, Azrael. We will not lose sight of our reason for being here," I told him. I sighed and looked down at the Houndour pup. "Well it looks like you have nowhere else to go, little guy. Do you want to come with me?" I asked, while pulling out an empty pokeball. It sat below me, looking up with a blank expression.

I reached forward with the pokeball and touched the Houndour's skull forehead. He disappeared into the pokeball and I let it drop to the grass. The ball hardly moved at all and he was caught soon after. I picked up the ball and investigated its contents through the holopanel. It was a male, level 8 Houndour.

I released the Houndour and he walked off. He returned a short while later with a Pidgey wing and set it down a few feet from me. I watched him position himself over it and blow a short flame onto it, singeing the feathers. He then picked it up and laid it at my feet. I appreciated the gesture and picked up the flash-fried wing. I ate the piece Gilles gave me, and then took a bite out of the wing. I crunched down onto scorched flesh and gagged. "We are going to have to work on your cooking skills, little guy. I think I'll call you Rufus," I said to the dog.

I gave a small smile which faded quickly when I made up my mind about my next move. I needed to see the Golbat and I needed to bury what I could salvage of Raeda. "I am going to stay here until I'm ready to continue. I can't say how long, but it could be for a couple days, or it could be until the first snowfall. I'm not going to rush to Cerulean. I will, however, be moving farther north. If you want to go on, I won't hold you back," I announced to Sheila and Chris.

They both nodded and Sheila said, "I'm not going to leave you, right now. It won't be a problem." I thanked them and walked over to the entrance of the cave.

The Golbat lay in mangled heaps on the ground. Its body was torn apart, and I noticed some of my arrows were broken. The torn body had slash and bite marks, which looked to be about the size of Azrael's mouth. Sheila approached cautiously and, finding no resistance from Azrael, walked up to me before saying, "Your pokemon tore through the Golbat after we carried you to bed."

I looked at Azrael, who did not meet my gaze. He looked at the corpse with a slight snarl. I sighed and started retrieving my arrows, finding seven of them broken. I cut my losses and salvaged what I could. I found a myriad of scratch marks, previous scars, and abnormal muscle growths all over the torn-apart bat. Some of the scars resembled scratches, and one set of scars had a pattern that resembled the number nine. I also sent out a message to the rangers using my PokeDex about the unusual encounter.

I then pulled out a large portion of the torso of the bat from the cave. "Gilles I'm going to need your help retrieving what we can of Raeda's body. We are going to bury her so that she can rest as dignified as possible. Gilles wasted no time helping me dig through the Golbat's bloated stomach. We found parts of Houndour and Houndoom, pieces of Raeda, and pieces of what appeared to be cloth.

I carried her over to a nice patch of shaded grass and started digging. Azrael watched me, but didn't help. I was thankful that he let me expend some energy on some manual labor, and I thanked him later for it. I dug the small hole with a spade attachment for my hatchet and buried Raeda's remains.

I then took out her pokeball and shrunk it to the size of a golf ball. I split it in half with my hatchet, placed the white half down on her grave, and pressed it into the earth. I then spent some time standing over her grave.

My new fire hound never wandered far from me throughout the entire endeavor. He sat close by when I was retrieving Raeda from the Golbat's stomach and when I was digging her grave. Sheila stood next to me for the latter half of the time I spent at Raeda's grave. When I finally turned away, she met my gaze and said, "I'm sorry I couldn't have done more. Nothing could have changed what happened, so don't blame yourself, either. Raeda gave her life to protect you from the Golbat's attack on your mind."

"Thanks, Sheila," I simply said back. She gave me a hug and we returned to the campsite. It was noon and Chris was talking on his phone. I followed his example and called my parents. I explained that there had been an incident. I informed them I was alright, and that I was going to stay in the peaks of Mt. Moon for another large span of time. I didn't go into detail, for I would have broken down again if I had. Luckily, my parents were understanding and didn't push me for details.

As we sat around the fire, I looked at my pokemon and said, "Raeda was very brave, and she gave her life to protect mine. I will make sure that doesn't happen again. It also looks like we have a new addition to our team. Rufus, welcome to our family. It's a little broken right now, but we'll get through it. Now, the first rule of this family is behavior…" I continued on to welcome my new Houndour to the team. I felt like I didn't need to repeat certain behavioral expectations, but all of my pokemon had to hear it and he was no exception.

It was with a heavy heart and a desire to strain my body that I instituted our drills for the day. A long adventure through the mountain tunnels awaited and I would make sure we were prepared for anything, starting with drills. I didn't care how long we needed to prepare; we would train in the daylight until we could make it through the mountain without fear. Rufus also needed some work before we re-entered the tunnels. After I slept that night, I hardened my heart, bottled up my emotions, and started to forge my destiny again, without Raeda.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The mountain pass was much larger than I had initially presumed it to be. This was a good thing, though, because it gave us room to move. I used a function on my PokeDex map to place a geographical marker on the location of the cave entrance. We found out that the pass actually fed into many others, which allowed pokemon to migrate along the mountain tops with relative ease. Due to this large expanse of mountain passes, valleys, gradual slopes, and mountain lakes, we saw a diverse mix of pokemon.

Stantler herds were large and numerous, much to mine and Azrael's delight. There were a large amount of Hoothoot, Starly, Spinarak, Zigzagoon, and Ekans. Some of the more uncommon pokemon that we came across were Poochyena and Stunky. We even came across a couple rarer pokemon.

Hunting for food gave us more practice in battling, but drills were key in raising our aptitude. Even though Rufus was so far behind my pokemon in terms of level and competency, he was able to quickly rise in a matter of a couple of weeks.

Our drills were brutal and frequent; Rufus toughened up quickly to meet the demands. He turned out to be a well-rounded pokemon. He was quick on his feet, strong in his attacks, and tough. His attacks weren't as strong as Azrael's or Gilles' but he was quicker than both of them. However, he would never come close to Raeda's speed.

He learned the flamethrowing technique from Azrael, and quickly became adept with it. They would both practice breathing fire at each other, holding the flame for as long as possible. The flames would be countered in the air and keep them from being hit. The pokemon who stopped breathing first would have to withstand the fire until the other couldn't keep the flame going. This taught them to compete with each other and make each other stronger. Before long, Rufus could keep his flame going as long as, and often longer than, Azrael's, though not as strong. Azrael was adept at hard hitting, short-lived moves, while Rufus could prolong his attacks. This gave both pokemon practice in toughening up and using fire.

Sheila did not like those drills and constantly voiced her opinion, despite my apathetic response to it. "This is not healthy for you or your pokemon. Letting your pokemon hurt each other is kind of counter-intuitive don't you think?" she would say.

"It's better that they suffer a little now and become tough enough to take hits in future battles, than to let them take it easy and die in battle later," was my common response. This would almost always stop the conversation, for Sheila did not want to breach the topic of Raeda. It had become almost taboo to mention her or the incident. This was fine with me, for I tried not to think about it.

Beyond fire, Rufus unsurprisingly showed adeptness at manipulating darkness. The difference between Gilles' techniques and Rufus' is that Gilles uses his ability to jump between physical reality and non-physical reality to attack his foes, which is augmented by darkness. Darkness hides him and makes it easier for him to employ his attacks, and as a ghost, he draws strength and energy from the darkness, but cannot manipulate it beyond energy extraction. Basically, ghosts draw energy from any source they can and use the energy against their foes. Some scientists have even said that ghosts become stronger during the night, whereas dark pokemon thrive on a lack of light, regardless of the day.

Rufus can directly manipulate the darkness, taking light away from areas, as well as drawing strength from the shadows. Instead of darkness being an energy source, for Rufus the darkness is a home and a tool. Because of Rufus' affinity for dark combat, he could distort the darkness, limiting Gilles' control over it. He could even warp the darkness to overpower Gilles. Some of our training sessions involved him countering Gilles' shadow balls by clearing the condensed shadow energy before Gilles could release them.

Azrael continued to train his bulldoze, slashing, and bites. His bulldozing skills kept getting stronger and more fearsome. Gilles was learning how to better utilize his shadow jumping ability to hit a target before it could attack. I don't think he could use it to transport me or another creature through the shadows again quickly, but he could use it for himself to nearly teleport beside a pokemon and hit it quickly. Beyond that, he continued to train his energy balls, hypnosis, and shadow punches. Rufus practiced his ability to billow smog from his throat, which caused burning damage and occasionally poisoned his foes.

I called my father during the first couple weeks to enquire about training fire pokemon.

"So I was calling because you told me I could call you about training fire pokemon," I started.

"Oh? What have you caught?" he asked.

"I caught a Houndour not long ago and Azrael is teaching him to use the flamethrower move."

"A Houndour? It looks like you really like scarier types of pokemon… Well in any case, I can give you some advice for settling them down if they get too rowdy. Like fire, flame pokemon can be as fickle and prone to outburst. Has the Houndour displayed those tendencies?

"Not yet. Up until now, he has been very obedient. It might be because I sorta rescued him."

"Do I want to know from what?" my father asked, sounding nervous.

"Probably not, actually. Plus it's not something I want to talk about."

"Hmm. Well in that case, when it comes to punishment, which I'm sure you will have to employ at some point, do NOT use water. Find out a different method of punishing it than water. I'm sure you know that water is very effective in battle, but that's where it is supposed to be used. Water will turn your fire pokemon against you faster than a Jolteon's lightning bolt. To calm one down, you need to let them blow off steam the old fashioned way; let them run. When you see parts of its body starting to glow with heat, it generally means it is becoming angered and you need to change the situation before they get too mad. They will tend to ignore reason when angered, and lash out violently. So just pay attention to him when he is with you."

"Alright, father. I'll keep this in mind. Thank you," I said gratefully.

"No problem. Your mother and I are still amazed at your performance against Aoro. You handled yourself well. And Azrael and Gilles were spectacular, as well. Speaking of, how is Azrael, Gilles, and Raeda?" my father asked.

I gulped, "Azrael and Gilles are getting along great. They're getting stronger every day. Raeda… Do you remember the incident I mentioned not too long ago? Well… Raeda is no longer with us."

"Oh… Are you alright?

"We are getting through it," I said curtly.

"Alright… well if you need anything, make sure to call us. We'll do what we can," he said.

"Thank you. I'll let you know if I do."

"You're welcome. We look forward to your battle in Cerulean."

"I'll let you know when that approaches. I don't foresee us getting there any time soon, though. We are training in the peaks of Mt. Moon until it gets too cold."

"Be careful. You don't want to be up there when it snows. I've heard the snow can reach over ten feet high in the peaks," he cautioned.

"Don't worry, we won't be here when it gets to that point. I'll let you know when we get out of Mt. Moon. It will be a while but don't worry. We are used to training out in the wild. I need to go now but I'll call you in a week or so," I said, signaling the end of the call.

I practiced with my pokemon when it came to speed drills, endurance drills, and attacking. I would sprint with them; I would run distance with them; I would weigh Azrael down by riding on his back; I would practice archery and knife combat.

Chris and Sheila were not as proactive in drills as I was, though they did participate often. I encouraged them to customize their drills to meet the different abilities of their pokemon.

Chris had grown considerably quieter since the incident in the cave entrance. He tended to talk only to Sheila about random things and only to me when it came to training.

I didn't talk much for the first couple weeks in the mountains. By the end of the second week, Sheila approached me after my day's final training session and said, "Are you ok? Really ok? You've been training with your pokemon like a madman for the past couple weeks and you haven't talked to us very much. And when we talk around the fire at night, you seem like you're elsewhere. Talk to me."

I reflected on the time we had spent there and realized there was truth to her words. I trembled a little and said to her, "I haven't been ok since Raeda… The only way I can function is by trying not to think about it. The only way I know to block it out is by training."

"You need to think of a different way to cope that doesn't involve alienating your friends through apathy or working yourself and your pokemon into the dirt. You still wake up most mornings screaming for Raeda. She would have wanted you to be happy, even if she couldn't make it a reality, herself," Sheila urged.

"I don't want to think about what she would have wanted. She can't ever _want_ anymore," I said, a tear rolling down my face.

"If you are ever going to get over this, you NEED to think about it. Azrael told you to mourn her; not forget about her. Remember her and what she did before she died. Respect her by learning from her sacrifice and persevering. Your pokemon will obey you and follow your orders until they fall from exhaustion because they respect you. The least you can do is return the sentiment," she lectured.

Azrael had moved up behind me and put a claw on my shoulder. I looked at him, saw the fierce glow in his eyes, and saw that he was ready to meet any challenge. His determination was not from a lack of caring about Raeda; I knew he was affected by Raeda's death. He had come to terms with the reality that she was not coming back and was moving on. I stared into his eyes for a time and shook my head with self-disgust.

"You're right, Azrael. I've been so stupid. I've lost sight on everything by putting us through drilling hell. It's exactly what you said not to do. Sheila, I'm sorry for ignoring you and Chris. I'm going to be better, I promise," I said.

"I hope so. I'm not chastising you because I'm mad at you; we're worried about you and your pokemon. Don't let this not affect you, but don't let it break you. I've seen it happen, and you can't let it happen to you," Sheila said.

"I know. Thank you for caring. It means a lot to me," I said sincerely.

"Don't mention it. You may have your personal pokemon team, but we are group. As such, we are a team as well. Now come over and have a bite to eat. It's getting late and Chris is going to need to see your assurance. Chris only tries to talk to you about training because he feels that is the only thing you respond to. You may not realize it, due to recent events, but he looks up to you. We both do. Your determination is second to none. I think it's one of the reasons you are able to demand so much respect from your pokemon," Sheila said to me, smiling.

I looked back up to Azrael, who still held that fiery, determined look in his eyes. I smiled up at him looked back to Sheila. Rufus had come to sit beside me and I rubbed the top of his head, behind his skull plate. Sheila grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the campfire. Gilles had also come over to us, though right behind Sheila. As soon as she turned around, his eyes and mouth enlarged and he let out a terrifying shriek, causing Sheila to scream in fear before punching through his body, fuming. That elicited laughs from everyone in the camp, except Sheila.

After she regained her composure and had a laugh herself, Sheila brought me over to the campfire and we sat down to eat. Azrael curled up behind me, raising his head up to keep engaged with the group. Gilles circled above us somewhere, cackling occasionally. Rufus curled up at my feet, within scratching distance of my hand.

Chris smiled at me. His Psyduck, Rey, was playing around with Shade. Lady was wrestling around with Chris's now-Ariados, Jade. His Zoroark, Pierce, was curled up next to his feet, like Rufus at mine. Larry and Kara were snuggling with each other next to the fire.

The entire scene was much more cheery and light-hearted than reality had seemed. Our pokemon were enjoying themselves, and we were having a joyous time under the stars, warmed by a hearty fire. Without Raeda, life seemed darker and less joyous, but I had forgotten that life offered so much to be grateful for. I had two friends, one of which I had been ungratefully ignoring for the most part. Our pokemon were healthy and relatively happy.

This was the life of a trainer; it was dangerous and unforgiving. I had to learn this the hard way, and one of my pokemon paid the ultimate price for the lesson. This experience would make us stronger. I would never let that happen to another one of my pokemon, but now I was thinking with a clearer mind. For the first time in half a month, I allowed myself to enjoy my night.

Later that night, I snuck out of the campsite. There was a lake nearby and I started walking towards it. I soon heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Rufus following me. I smiled and continued on. Not long after that, I felt the ground swell a little bit from under me and I stomped twice, making a large dragon appear nearby. I smiled again and kept walking. Finally, my ghost made himself known above me with a small giggle.

I stopped and looked out at the lake when I was close enough to see it in its moonlit glory. I found a razed log and sat down upon it. My pokemon gathered around me and looked out over the lake with me. I let tears run down my cheek, as I chose to remember Raeda. I wept for a few minutes before standing up and wiping my eyes. I felt like I was losing weight from my shoulders, and even though it had only been two weeks since her death, I didn't feel guilty letting her go. I cleared my throat and smiled at the lake, noting how the full moon reflected perfectly off of its smooth surface.

Just as I was about to turn to head back to camp, movement on the lake caught my eye. I walked closer and saw a creature hopping over the surface of the water about fifty feet from the shoreline. I noticed that the water remained undisturbed. I studied the mysterious creature; it was pinkish, round, and had a curled tail.

My jaw dropped. Clefairy were extremely rare. I had read about them in fairy tales, growing up. So many myths surrounded them that usually revolved around an extraterrestrial origin. I thought for a second before deciding not to try and catch it. Seeing one was a sign of good luck and it was hopping around, enjoying a moonlit night on a serene lake.

I watched it bounce further over the lake until it reached the middle. It hovered for a little while before floating off into the distance. I turned back towards camp and felt no remorse for passing up the opportunity to catch it, despite the outrageous price I could have received for it. It was a mystical experience, and I enjoyed watching the little pink moon pokemon in its natural environment. I actually felt good about leaving it. Furthermore, what would Sheila have thought?

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

I awoke with a newfound sense of determination. I checked the levels of my pokemon to see where I stood after almost a month since I arrived at Mt. Moon, and two weeks since I started training Rufus. Azrael stood at level 29, Gilles at 27, and Rufus at 22. _Looks like I've really been pushing them hard._

I woke my pokemon and took them outside. It was cold. "Rufus, could you heat up for me?" I asked my Houndour. His white rings started glowing red and radiating heat. This was a great advantage that he brought to the group; he could keep us warm. I made up my mind that we would gradually start heading back in the direction of the cave entrance.

For the time being, I started us on a low-intensity workout. I decided that Rufus needed training more than the others, for he was still fairly far behind in terms of level. To make things interesting and to involve the whole team, I instituted a game. Gilles would amass a low-energy shadow ball and send it at Rufus, who would warp the darkness around it to divert its course towards Azrael instead. I gave Azrael the choice of taking the hit or trying to dodge it. He switched between the two options, choosing to build both toughness and quickness. I liked to refer to those exercises as batting exercises.

When we hunted, I let my pokemon utilize their own methods for the most part, unless the foe was stronger than the average pokemon. Stantler were almost always a group endeavor. Having Rufus made it significantly easier to take them down. The combination of Gilles' psychic clouding ability and Rufus' psychic blocking darkness rendered the Stantler psychically helpless.

During one of our batting exercises, Chris came over to talk to me. He walked up to me and said, "Hey. I was having a problem with something. I have my pokemon running basic agility and strength drills, but nothing that actually brings the team together. Looking at what you're doing now, it looks like they are all having some fun training and being a team. What can I do?"

"Hmm. Well let's see you have a Psyduck, an Ariados, and a Zoroark. What you need to do is figure out what weaknesses can be exploited but without hurting said pokemon. Look at Gilles. He is weak to dark attacks so I'm having Rufus distort the attacks instead of Gilles himself," I instructed, pointing at my pokemon.

"I see. The only weaknesses I can see are Rey's psychic weakness to both Pierce's darkness and Jade's bug moves," he said to me.

I immediately caught a flaw in his knowledge and said, "There's your problem. Ariados may be bugs, but they are weak to psychics because of their poison half-type."

"That would explain why Jade doesn't do so well against psychic pokemon… But how do you know that? Why does one subtype get preference over another in one circumstance but not in another?" he said, visibly taken aback.

"Your PokeDex has this handy encyclopedia of information over all the known pokemon. Spend some time researching and you will learn stuff you didn't know about your own pokemon. Once you know your pokemon, create an exercise that references something you have experience in. I've played baseball since I was very young, so this is like a batting practice. You have to customize it yourself to make it meaningful and fun for both you and your pokemon," I told him.

"Thank you so much. I will get right on that," he said, beaming.

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else," I patted him on the back.

"Ok! Oh. And… I never said anything before, but I'm really sorry about Raeda," he said awkwardly.

"…Thanks, Chris," I said after a brief moment of surprise.

"I also want you to know that I'm happy you're doing better. I was debating whether or not to continue on through Mt. Moon because… well, you didn't seem like you needed me or wanted me to be here… But I see why it appeared that way now! I'm just happy you're back and doing better. I want to talk to you about why you want to take so long to get to the Indigo Plateau later, too. For now, thanks for the advice," he said quickly and ran back to camp before I could say anything.

I was a little dumbfounded. _I must have been worse than I thought. _I continued with training, thinking about Chris and Sheila.

Later that night, as we sat around the campfire feasting on a couple fresh Stantler kills, Chris brought up something I hadn't thought about before. "Have you thought about if you are going to challenge the Fighting Dojo?" he asked.

"I honestly haven't thought about it. Where is it being held this year?" I asked, knowing that it tended to stay away from Pewter or Cerulean, since they were beginner gym cities.

"I found out on my PokeDex, after looking at information on Psyduck, that the Fighting Dojo is being held in Vermillion this season. I've heard it's really difficult," said Chris.

"I haven't heard of that before. What is it?" asked Sheila.

"It's a challenge that stems from a fighting-based gym that competed for the sixth badge slot in the Indigo League a long time ago. Since fighting type pokemon don't stand a chance against psychics, they were defeated and weren't awarded a place in the Indigo League. Since then, it shows up in a different city every so often to offer a fighting challenge to any trainer who issues a challenge, regardless of how many badges the trainer has earned," I informed her.

"I see. So why would it be any more difficult than any other gym?" Sheila asked.

"I've heard that the gym leader and his apprentices fight you while your pokemon battle, making it more difficult to order your pokemon to attack, or even watch the fight," Chris said fearfully.

"That sounds horrible! I'm not going to let some guy beat on me while my pokemon fight. I'm no fighter," said Sheila defensively.

"That actually sounds like a good bit of fun to me," I said, scratching my chin.

"Do you have any experience fighting?" asked Chris.

"Yeah, he wrestled for a long time," chimed in Sheila before I could open my mouth to respond.

"Oh, cool! Could you show me some moves? I kinda want to try out the Fighting Dojo but I don't know how to fight," asked Chris.

"Well, I guess I could teach you a little bit. It would give me something to do besides practicing archery and stabbing fauna," I said. "Plus, the Fighting Dojo would finally give me a chance to practice my own skills in a challenge match."

"Awesome! Just don't go too hard on me at the beginning; I've never fought before," Chris said.

"We'll see," I laughed.

"Hey now, you better go easy on him!" shouted Sheila. "We don't need a broken Chris out here."

We all laughed and enjoyed the rest of the night. Come morning, we were back at it again, though this time I practiced my wrestling moves on Chris. I was a little rusty from not having practiced it since I attended school, but I still beat Chris easily. It was no surprise but at least he learned quickly.

"If I shoot in to grab your leg, sprawl down and hit your hip to the floor; the one above the leg I shoot for." "NO. NEVER reach back for my head or I will use your arm to throw you over and pin you almost immediately!" "Always keep moving, whether you are in control or trying to escape!" "You scuffed your knees and elbows? Get over it! Your opponent won't care and neither do I!"

I may have been a little overzealous…. But he learned quickly! By the time we reached the mountain pass that housed the dreaded cave entrance, he was putting up quite a fight. The days were very cold, and starting to dip below freezing temperatures. Snow was not too far off.

We also started seeing camps of other trainers. I assumed they were the camps of trainers who finally found a way to progress through the mountain after the guide Zubat were stolen. We still approached one campsite one afternoon where a few trainers were sitting around, eating, in order to find out. We returned our pokemon, of course, so as not to appear threatening. "Hey there! Mind if we join you?" shouted Sheila with a friendly smile on her face.

The four people turned to face us and I saw two female faces and two male faces staring back at us. One of the male faces, nearly covered entirely with a jacket hood, spoke out, "Absolutely not! Come on over!" We happily came over and shared the campfire.

"So, are you all trainers?" asked Sheila innocently.

The boy who appeared to be the group leader took down his hood to reveal long brown locks of hair, hazel eyes, perfectly white teeth, and a charming smile. He appeared to be around the same age as Chris. "Yup! We are indeed. And who might you be? What is such a pretty girl doing in these mountain tops?" he said, flashing his pearly whites.

Chris and I rolled our collective eyes and listened as Sheila said, "Oh thanks but I doubt I'm looking that great right now. Spending so long out in the wilderness makes it impossible to keep up a healthy appearance," muttered Sheila embarrassedly.

"Oh well you had me fooled. If this is a bad look for you, then you must never get a moment alone from all of your suitors, when you aren't looking bad," he said, once again spraying charm at Sheila like a Stunky would spray a predator. It was horribly nauseating to witness.

"Oh please. Stop it now, you. I'm Sheila, by the way. What's your name?" said Sheila. Her face was as red as a Cherubi.

"I'm Jack. This is Amanda, Charlotte, and Jeb," he introduced. I chimed in, introducing myself and Chris, though Jack seemed to be ignoring us. It was beginning to get aggravating.

"Charlotte is our tour guide. We just arrived yesterday and have been enjoying the sunlight," Jack informed us.

"We're pokemon trainers, as well. Any news from Pewter City about the stolen Zubat?" I asked.

"…Yeah I know you are trainers. My Noctowl saw you all approaching. And who cares about the Zubat anyway? I want to know why you kidnapped this angel and brought her into the mountains," said Jack. That officially pissed me off. Sheila didn't seem to notice his insult over his flattery.

"Just wondering how you managed to find a guide. I mean, we didn't need a guide. It's not like competent trainers _need_ a guide to get through Mt. Moon. Trainers have only been doing it since the beginning of the Indigo League," I said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, what you implying?" he asked.

"Only that you acted so competent in your knowledge from your Noctowl, yet you had to hire a guide to get through the mountain. It seems a little ironic to me," I jabbed.

"Hey kid, don't make me teach you a lesson in front of the Lady," he threatened.

"Kid? I'm older than you, kid. And what lesson could you possibly teach me? How to get lost in a cave on your own? Or how to spray toxic gas from my mouth like a Stunky?" I taunted.

"HEY! Calm down boys! What's the problem?" Sheila interfered.

"Why are you traveling with this dumbass, Sheila? You could come with us. We got a guide and competent pokemon to protect us. I'm sure you wanna ditch those dorks," Jack said to Sheila. Sheila responded by laughing very loud and long.

"I'm sure you are very talented with training your pokemon, Jack. But I'm going to have to say that I think my friend is better," she said, in between fits of laughter.

"Well it looks like I'll have to show you how a man battles, then," said Jack, challenging me. "C'mon then. Let's see what you've got. Falcon, come down here!" he yelled to his pokemon.

I glared at him and sent a frown in Sheila's direction. I sighed and then stood up to take my place in front of Jack, away from the campsite. "You're awfully cocky to show me your starting pokemon before I release mine," I stated.

"Bring it, dude. These chicks are going to see that you're nothing," he taunted. _Alright then, this is going to be fun._ I raised a pokeball and released Gilles. "K Falcon, take to the air and put it to sleep!" he ordered his Noctowl. The man-sized owl flew up into the sky.

"Gilles, follow him and turn incorporeal. Use your sucker punch to disrupt his hypnosis and then hypnotize him back. Then shadow ball," I told him. Gilles rose up into the air, cackling maniacally. The Noctowl's eyes lit up blue as it tried to psychically induce sleep on Gilles. Gilles hit the owl right in the left eye with a quick jab, after extending his shadow unnaturally through the air and jumping through it in a split-second.

This caused the owl to hoot in pain and then Gilles put it to sleep, causing it to fall from the sky. It hit the ground and soon after, three different shadow balls pummeled its body. The Noctowl was knocked out and returned as Jacke let out a scream of anger, higher in pitch than I was expecting.

"How manly… I'll use a different pokemon this time and let you decide who fights him. Just to make things even. Good job, Gilles. Expertly done!" I said. My jibe seemed to anger him even more, to my delight. I released Azrael, who stood in front of him, towering over him. Jack's face went pale, and I heard a couple gasps from his companions.

"Y-you're THAT trainer? Crap. Ok then, it's too late to back out now. It's your turn, Phin!" he yelled, releasing a four foot-tall blue crocodile. It had red spines on its head and down its spine and tail. It had a mix of blue and tan coloring on its stomach that identified it as a Croconaw. "Ok let's see if that earth dragon of yours can withstand my water moves!" he yelled confidently.

I stomped twice ordering Azrael to submerge. He followed my order. I thought for a second. I knew that Croconaw could learn ice moves, which would be severely effective against Azrael. I needed Azrael to hit with surprise attacks and not stay in melee range for long. I stomped, slid my foot forward on its side, and then stomped twice again, while dragging my foot in a circle on the ground.

I saw the trainer's eyes go wide and he yelled, "Move! Don't stay still!" The Croconaw attempted to evade the dragon, and almost succeeded. If Azrael's sand wave wasn't as strong, the Croconaw would have evaded it. Azrael emerged to the side of the pokemon and lifted a massive wave of earth, catching the water pokemon with the edge, sending it crashing into the ground.

As the Croconaw attempted to get up, the ground sunk beneath it and started swirling, taking the Croconaw with it. As it tried to escape, the soil pummeled it from underneath. I stomped twice, order him to emerge. He did so and I yelled, "Sandstorm and then flames!"

Jack yelled, "Get out of there! Swim, Phin! Water gun!" Quicksand is not water in that you can't swim effectively through it. It sucks you down while you struggle. The only way to escape is to stop moving and make your body as flat as possible, leaving you open for attack. This was the beauty of the sand tomb attack. If it wasn't kept up, though, the ground would harden after a little time passed. Azrael needed to act fast.

Azrael stood above the vortex with jets of water flying at him and disappeared into a stormy vortex. He then let loose a torrent of fire. The torrent of fire streamed onto the trapped water pokemon doing little damage at first. But as the torrent continued to fall on him, the Croconaw started to dry out and get hurt. The sand tomb gradually hardened, forcing the crocodile to dig itself out amidst an uncompromising and unending stream of fire. Despite the water it fired at Azrael, and despite its attempts to bit Azrael, who was just out of range, Azrael's fire continued to roast the pokemon.

After it started yelping, in agony, Jack returned the Croconaw with a look of regret on his face. I yelled out, "Too much? Ok, I'll send in a different pokemon. Azrael, you are amazing!" and switched out Azrael for Rufus.

Jack swore and sent out his Pinsir at the same time. _Brilliant_. "Alright, Rufus. Flamethrower!" I yelled and he sent forward a torrent of fire, just like Azrael had, at the intimidating bug. The five foot-tall bug with a giant set of pincers on its head charged forward through the fire towards Rufus. Perhaps it had misjudged its own strength, perhaps it had misjudged Rufus' strength, or perhaps it just hadn't been trained to resist fire, for it collapsed five feet in front of Rufus, burning and smoking.

Jack yelled out, "No!" and returned his bug pokemon before it roasted alive. He then sent out a fourth pokemon. A Makuhita stood in front of him now; a small, fat, yellow, humanoid fighting pokemon with black fists. He yelled, "Take out that hound! Sand-attack!"

The Makuhita started throwing sand at Rufus, who snarled and barked at its enemy. "Rufus, smog and then flamethrower!" I ordered. He unleashed a black cloud that poured over the fighting pokemon. It started hacking and tried to escape from the haze. Soon after, the fog lit up with fire as a fire stream burned into the fleeing Makuhita. The wind blew some of the smog away and the Makuhita moved fast, escaping the fog. It ran around to the side of Rufus and punched him in the ribs, hard.

Rufus was thrown to the side by the vital throw and quickly rose. The Makuhita was already on top of him, though, hitting multiple times very quickly. "Flamethrower, Rufus!" I yelled and the Makuhita received a face-full of fire. It screeched and fell back. Rufus stood up and continued his stream of fire into the poor fighting pokemon. It fell back, shielding its face and finally Jack returned it.

"Good job, Rufus! That's two for two for you!" I yelled. I noticed him shudder and his white ridges on his back started glowing red. I quickly returned him, recognizing the symptoms of his increasing rage. I would have to let him blow off some steam in a little bit, away from everyone else.

Sheila was laughing at Jack, saying, "Maybe you shouldn't be so cocky and insulting to random people. It tends to bite you in the ass." She glanced in my direction, and gave a wink. _Ha ha._ Jack looked like he was about to cry. I walked up to him and held out my hand.

"I'm not shaking your hand, dork," was his reply.

"Have you never lost before? I'm asking for my money. God only knows what you've done with that hand Mr. suave. Maybe you should learn a little humility," I said to him.

"Oh… Yeah… My money's in my tent," he said stomping off towards his tent. I sat down next to Sheila, who was still laughing.

The other guy, Jeb, looked at me and said, "Thank you so much for bringing him down a peg or three. He is way too cocky for his own good. We would have a long time ago but his pokemon are strong." I nodded, appreciating the sentiment.

The girl, Amanda I believe, smiled at me and said, "That was impressive. We all saw your match with Aoro and, though this wasn't as impressive as the gym match, it was still cool. How long have you been out here," she asked, scooting closer to me.

Jack approached, threw some money at me, and then stomped away.

"Oh. Well… We've been out here for over a month now, I think… The battle was no big deal, though. My pokemon are the ones who did the fighting," I said, a little embarrassed as I picked up the money and ignored Jack.

"Yeah but YOU led them. And you looked so confident, too. Maybe you could show me a thing or two about training?" she asked, roping an arm inside mine.

"U-umm… Sure, I think," I said uncomfortably.

"Oookay then, I think we have somewhere we need to be, now," said Sheila loudly. She yanked me up out of Amanda's claws and started pulling me away.

"Oh no! Where do you need to be?" protested Amanda.

"Anywhere but here!" retorted Sheila. "Can't leave you for five seconds before you're being a cocky jerk, can I?" she said to me. She kept dragging me away and I saw Amanda pouting at the fireside.

"Huh? Me!? You were the one who got me into a battle because YOU were being flattered by Jack McDoucheCanoe!" I rounded on her.

"If you hadn't shown off, we wouldn't be having this problem," she scorned. Chris was running from the camp to catch up.

"What problem?" I asked. "He challenged me and I beat him. Where's the problem?"

"Just stop being jerk and let's go find a place to make camp, away from the other jerk and his fanclub," she ignored me and kept dragging me away. "Why does everyone who does even a little well in the pokemon league have to be cocky jerks?" she said to herself. Eventually I broke free and walked on my own. I released my pokemon, except for Rufus, and praised and congratulated them on their performances. Azrael hummed and Gilles cackled.

Chris walked beside me and said, "I don't understand women…"

I looked at him and muttered, "Me neither."

We found a nice place to settle, in a clearing near a stream and set about making camp. I let Rufus out of his pokeball and he fumed for a few minutes, literally billowing steam out from his mouth. Eventually, he settled down and we ran back to camp. There was an earthy ring surrounding its perimeter, as usual, and Azrael was lighting the campfire rather enthusiastically.

Rufus whined and I looked at him. He stared at Azrael lighting the fire and I said, "Aww, you want to light the campfire?" Rufus looked up at me and whined again. "I'll let you make tomorrow's fire. How about that?" He gave me a pouting look and I said, "Oh don't give me that look. If you hadn't lost your temper and needed to cool off, you would have been here to make the fire. Here," I picked up a stick and held it out for him. "You can light this up and I will add it to the fire. That will have to do." He blew an ember onto it but didn't look satisfied. He huffed and joined me in walking into the camp.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The amount of trainers we came across started to grow as we made our way towards the cave entrance. With the abundance of trainers came an abundance of challenges. I was challenged three times by random people who saw us walking by; each time my pokemon easily conquered their foes. I tried to use Rufus more since he did not have as much experience in battles as Gilles and Azrael. On November 25th, we made camp a couple days from the tunnel entrance.

Unfortunately, with the rise in trainer numbers came the decline of wild pokemon in the vicinity to hunt. I had started hunting at night because the other trainers were sleeping and wild pokemon felt safer coming out. We were making our way through the trees when we came across the sounds of something feasting on another.

I whispered and told Azrael to burrow. I put a finger to mouth, letting Rufus know to be quiet. We approached a small clearing where a pokemon were crouched down over another. I could only make out the silhouette of the pokemon since we were in the cover of trees. I sent Gilles ahead and told him to hypnotize it, so that I could see what it was before I decided if I wanted to kill it for food.

He zoomed forward and signaled me that he was done with his task by cackling. I rushed into the clearing to find something that made my jaw drop and my heart sink at the same time. It was an Absol. They were very rare pokemon and highly valued, which dropped my jaw. My heart sank because I knew that they are known to precede natural disasters. Something bad was coming soon.

As I stared at it for a couple seconds, it snapped out of its hypnotism and attacked Gilles, using a dark bite to latch onto him despite his incorporeal state. I quickly stomped and slid my foot forward while saying to Rufus, "Light him up." Rufus bounded forward and let loose a stream of flame at the Absol.

It let go of Gilles immediately and, with unparalleled speed, rushed forward and hit Rufus, knocking him over. It looked at me and snarled before being lifted into the air by a force underneath it. Azrael threw it into the air and grabbed onto its leg, slamming it down onto the ground. Gilles then hypnotized it, which it resisted. Rufus had joined the fight as well, leaping in and biting it.

"Everyone, I'm going to catch it. Keep it down." Azrael had it pinned with his large one-clawed arms, Gilles was staring at it intensely with a scary face, and Rufus was latched onto its scythe-like tail. I ran up to it and stuck an arrow at its throat. "We are doing this the easy way or the hard way, Absol. You choose which." I pulled out a pokeball and pressed it against the Absol's silky white fur. It disappeared and four seconds later the ball burst, sending it out, snarling.

I dodged to the side as my pokemon swarmed the three foot-tall feline. I notched an arrow and shot it through its rear leg, hamstringing it. It cried out and I pressed one of my greatballs into its soft fur. This time, though it squirmed and wiggled, the ball held and captured the Absol. "Great job guys. I need to get that arrow out of its leg now. I'm going to need you all to help me if…" I checked the ball, "_She_ won't cooperate." It was a level 29 female Absol; she was strong.

"Ok, here we go," I said as I released her some distance from me. She made a move to rush me and I returned her. _Here we go again. I forgot about this routine. _I released her again, and instead of running to me, she turned and started taking off into the wilderness. I recalled her before she was too far away and released her again. Finally, after a few more tries, she sat still, breathing heavily.

"Rufus, I need you to go to her and let her know I need to get the arrow out of her leg," I said to him and he gave a short bark before approaching the Absol. She curled her lip upon being approached but Rufus continued on his course. He sat down a few feet away and began making noises and movements that suggested communication. He looked over to me after a minute and I moved forward.

Azrael and Gilles moved with me, showing the Absol that any move to hurt me would be unwise. I stopped at her haunch, and received an angry look. I took out a potion and sprayed the wound, causing the flesh to reject the arrow and eject it onto the grass before healing over. I picked up the arrow and backed up. "Gilles put her to sleep," I ordered.

My ghost surprised the Absol by suddenly unleashing a quick psychic attack, leaving it stunned for a moment. As it slept, I returned it to its pokeball. "Good job, again, everyone. Now, we've got a long night ahead of us. Let's go. We're leaving," I said to my pokemon. This was one thing I was not going to ignore.

Ten minutes later we arrived back in our campsite and I woke up my companions. "We have to leave now. I just caught an Absol. You know what that means? Something is bad is coming. Probably a very bad first winter storm. We need to get going. Start packing!" There was little protest as both Sheila and Chris knew about Absol.

I was finished packing first and I said to them, "I'm going to head to all of the trainer camps around here to rouse them and warn them. You all have my Dex number so if you need me, call me. Send out a warning to the rangers as well. See you in a bit. Rufus, start howling."

I ran off northward with my pokemon, while Rufus let off a high-pitched howl that could rouse anyone almost a mile away. I recalled Azrael because he couldn't travel as fast. He could only keep up so long, even being in his evolved form. In the first campsite I came to, people were coming out of their tents wrapped in thick coats. "What the hell is going on? Who are you?" I was asked.

"You all need to head to the Mt. Moon cave entrance. I just encountered an Absol and it hasn't snowed this season yet. Hurry, pack up, and get going," I responded. "Here, look." I showed one of them the greatball's holopanel which showed the date and time of capture.

"Oh shit, man. Thanks for letting us know," he said, growing scared.

"No problem. Thank me for it by spreading out to other trainer camps to let them know as well. I'm heading northwest to let the camps that way know. Then I'll be heading back south to the cave. Here's my Dex number," I said to them. I gave them my number and told them to call me if there were any problems or signs of the natural disaster coming. Then I ran with my pokemon.

If I hadn't put myself and my pokemon through drills for so long, I probably would not have had the endurance to go on the way I did. I notified seven different trainer campsites in the span of an hour before heading back to my own camp. It was all packed up and there were other trainers gathering.

When I ran into the campsite, one person looked at me and asked, "Hey are you the one who said he encountered the Absol?" I confirmed it and he said, "Well could you prove it? I don't want to have to high-tail it twenty miles to the cave entrance because a kid was having a bad dream."

I released the sleeping Absol in the middle of the camp, scaring many kids instantly and almost instantly waking the Absol. I had Gilles sneakily assault her with another hypnotize before returning her to her ball. "Believe me now?" I asked.

They all started heading out of camp southward after seeing that, a few of them thanking me. I stayed behind and called Sheila. I found out that Sheila and Chris were on their way back with a small group of trainers. They had called and informed the rangers of the warning and had sent groups of trainers back to our campsite to meet me when I got back, if they didn't believe the warning.

I waited for them and soon after they arrived, my PokeDex lit up and started issuing a loud warning. I noticed there was an ignore function that allowed me to turn of the warning. I pressed it because I was already aware of the threat, before heading out with my friends.

We traveled twenty-two miles. At a quickened pace, it took us six and a half hours to reach the valley where the cave was located. It had grown very cold in that time and my PokeDex showed the temperature at 8°F. We were among a large group of trainers, about fifty in number by the looks of it. As we entered the valley, I knew we had about two miles left to travel, and it started snowing.

It was slow at first, but after ten minutes, it started picking up in intensity. We all started running. Most trainers recalled their slower pokemon so that they could run faster. As the weather grew worse, I even saw some people landing from flight atop larger bird pokemon. The snowstorm was quickly becoming a blizzard. I rushed to the front of the group and yelled out, "Follow me! Follow the howling!"

I looked at Rufus and nodded. He started howling as we ran. Sheila and Chris were right behind us but in front of the rest of the trainers. The snow was building up fast. It made running difficult and for Rufus, painful. His heat melted the snow, causing water to drench his body. I could only keep going, after not being able to see ten feet in front of me, by using my compass on my knife. I used my PokeDex sparingly so that I wouldn't risk dropping it in my haste.

Finally, after another twenty minutes, we arrived at the entrance of the cave, heaving from running the last mile and a half. The snow had become almost a foot high in that time and was continuing to grow taller. The entrance of the cave first became evident by the amount of noise we heard. It sounded like someone had tripped over a couple of Loudred.

We burst into the cave to find a crowd of trainers waiting for us. I noticed that there were, indeed, a few Loudred at the entrance calling out to trainers. After we passed by them, however, the cave was devoid of their shrieking. Some other pokemon were maintaining light screens behind them which countered the annoying screeches they emitted.

I didn't realize how many trainers were there until I walked down the tunnel. It was lit by the flashes from many pokemon. The crowd must have been over 300 hundred people; it was absolutely packed. By the time I found my way to the edge of the crowd, it was beginning to die down in volume behind me. To my utter surprise, there was only one pokemon standing guard at the edge of the crowd. It was a Nidorino and it was seemed to be taking a nap.

Concerned, I released Azrael to offer some protection. I heard a large array of gasps behind me and turned. Most of the crowd was staring at me. I noticed Sheila and Chris were not with me, either. Rufus stood at my side and Azrael towered behind me, still not too tall for the large tunnel entrance.

"Umm… Hi everyone… I figured we needed guards down here," I awkwardly announced. Giggles ran through the crowd. Then, to my relief, Sheila came running through the crowd towards me. She ran up to me and said, "H-hey. We might have let slip that you were the one to warn everyone about the storm…"

"Oh," I said. "Why are they all staring at me like that?"

"Probably because they recognize Azrael, and probably because-" she was cut off as three adults made their way towards me through the crowd, hushing everyone. I noticed Azrael shift behind me and I turned to look. His head was facing the other direction, and he was emitting a low rumbling from his stomach, signaling his protective aggression.

I followed his gaze to see three legends approaching from the darkness. A seven foot-tall steel-plated dinosaur emerged on the left side of the tunnel. I knew it as an Aggron, and not just any Aggron; the missing steel plate on its right shoulder identified it as Aoro's League Aggron: Crusher.

The second pokemon emerged on the right side. It was a five and a half foot-tall steel rimmed penguin with three golden horns in the shape of a trident on its head, though the middle horn was missing. It was Cerulean gym leader Katherine Holmes' League Empoleon: Kallan.

The final pokemon emerged between the two pokemon. It was a ten foot-tall rock-encrusted T-Rex. Its footfalls shook the tunnels as it approached and it growled back at Azrael, causing the walls to reverberate like the inside of a drum. League Champion Bruce Volker's Tyrantrum, Caesar, stopped in front of Azrael, who looked down at him and showed no sign of fear.

I was immeasurably awestruck. It was not a fearful awe that I stood in, but one of respect and humility. I placed a hand on Azrael's thigh and told him to relax. I turned around to see the three adults standing in front of me. All three of them smiled. Bruce Volker stood in the middle with Aoro to his left and Katherine to his right.

Bruce's vest had the Champion's crest on the right side of his chest. His hair was long, black, and hung in a Ponytatail. "Are you the trainer who sent the warning?"

I cleared my throat and said, "Technically no. That would be my friend, Sheila. But I am the one who told her to do so."

Aoro laughed, a booming sound that echoed off the walls. "I remember you, kid. I remember your dragon, too!" he said.

Volker's eyes narrowed as he studied Azrael. "Your dragon looks familiar. Its black scales and size are rather abnormal. Looks a lot like Kira in her youth."

"Your observation is correct, sir. This is Kira's only offspring, Azrael. My uncle's name was Ray and he was Kira's caretaker after Champion Lorelei passed," I informed him. A large gasp ran through the crowd and whispering erupted amongst its members.

"Is that so? I find it difficult to believe. No offspring was ever reported," Volker said.

"No one knew about the offspring. I found him in the underground network she created and cared for him for over a year before I gained his respect," I said.

"Interesting… I might normally have looked into this more deeply but you do seem to have him under control. I've never seen such a large Gabite, let alone any that would submit to a beginning trainer. He must see something special in you," he ruminated. "But that is all beside the point. That is, the point why we are here. We are under the impression that a trainer sent out warning before this storm hit. Because of that warning, over four hundred beginning trainers were able to reach safety. And you would be that trainer?" he asked.

"Yes sir, I am. I encountered and caught an Absol. That was reason enough for me," I told the Champion.

Indigo League Champion Bruce Volker then walked up to me and shook my hand and said, "Good show, lad!"

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Author's Note:

Alright! Cool stuff is cool. Thank you to gallantmon7196, mockstevenh, and SilverFlameHaze for your reviews! I really do appreciate your feedback. Gallantmon, I wanted to make Raeda's death early on for several reasons, but I also felt bad that it happened so soon. It all happens for a reason though ;). And SilverFlameHaze, thanks for pointing out that the narrator's name hasn't been revealed yet. It won't be for a long time *laughing maniacally* I took some inspiration from other pokemon fics and one of my favorites is waiting to release the narrator's name until some awesome moment… like the end of the story. But now we've got Rufus, who I know will never take Raeda's place, but will still make a great addition to the team. More to come!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The wind shrieked outside of the cave entrance, but it did not drown out the roar of the crowd of pokemon trainers. Despite the fact that most were not making much noise, the combined sound of several hundred trainers caused the walls to reverberate with a low moan. Bruce Volker and Aoro Craul sat in front of me, Sheila, and Chris, around a small fire. The Cerulean gym leader had disappeared without a word, earlier.

During our time around the fire, after the snow began to pile up to my waist, Volker had released a Xatu and sent it out into the blizzard. The Xatu cast a light screen upon itself to protect it from the harsh snow, and then took off into the sky, psychically scanning the terrain for the minds of any trainer. A few times during the morning, Volker left the fireside suddenly, and took off into the sky on the back of his League Charizard. He would return within fifteen minutes clutching a shivering trainer or two.

"It is my duty and responsibility to be present and help in whatever way I can, whenever disaster strikes," he said after his first leave of absence.

During our time waiting, we talked about a few things. Volker was very interested to hear about my and Azrael's history. I recounted to him the stories of Kira, my father's business which she destroyed, and the time I spent caring for and training with Azrael. Rufus sat beside me and allowed me to scratch his sides while we talked. "You are somethin' else, kid. I'm very curious as to the identity of the father, though. I'll have to look into it during my free time," Volker said, scratching his chin.

"I'll say!" said Aoro. "If I didn't have a gym to run, I'd like to watch your gym battle with Kate. But I might be able to spare a few minutes to watch you on T.V. Here's my number. Let me know when you schedule a battle. And you two; I'm sure you're not all sidelined in all this. What're your stories?"

"Well we all sorta train together," replied Sheila. "He's a little more gung ho about it, though. I'm Sheila and I'm from Hoenn. I already had two badges before I met up with these two."

"I'm Chris. I'm from Saffron and I don't really have much of a story. I mean, my Zoroark tried to kill me before he became my starter and we became friends, but that is about as exciting as my story gets," Chris said.

"You know, I remember both of you!" exclaimed Aoro. "I was curious as to why you had two badges, Sheila, and I remember that tough little Roselia. I also remember that Zoroark, Chris. Not many trainers have one of them. You all make quite an odd little group," he laughed.

"I'll second that!" said Volker.

After a few hours passed and no more trainers were found, Volker's Xatu returned and Volker said to Aoro, "I think it's time." He then cleared his voice, causing a wave of silence to pass over the large crowd. Volker then yelled out, "Alright everyone, listen up! I understand that many of you have hired private guides to lead you through Mt. Moon. I also know that many of you guides have very little experience traveling through the mountain and only took the job for a quick buck. Although I appreciate your zeal in helping trainers continue their journeys, especially after it took so long for the Pewter City Zubat trainers to issue their apologies and admit their inability to conduct business, I'm afraid to say that we have to step in."

No one said anything as Volker's eyes passed over the crowd. "Now, the mountain is large and spacious, but this many trainers and guides traveling together and passing through at the same time is a danger to both the ecosystem of the caves and to everyone in the group. Food will become scarce quickly, as well as pokemon. For that reason, Aoro and Katherine will be leading the groups. They will take everyone through as quickly as possible. They will also help clear the snow that is accumulating across the mountain range when you have to emerge from the caves and traverse the mountain passes. Any questions?"

One kid raised his hand and Volker nodded his acknowledgement for the boy to speak. "What if we don't want to follow the group? I wasn't really here just to pass through…"

"Good question! I'm sure some of you want to go at your own pace," Volker said. "That is fine. I'm certain that the vast majority of you will want to travel with us so it should be no problem for a few of you to go your own way. Just know that when you have to take the mountain passes between tunnel systems, you will have no support in clearing the snow."

I sighed in relief. I had no desire to travel with all those people. I preferred traveling with my little group. Volker started again, "Alright now. Start gathering your belongings. We move in half an hour. And most of you should thank this young man, here," he said, gesturing to me. I gulped and turned red. "Without this trainer's warning, most of you would have been caught in the storm and we would not have arrived until later to aid you in locating this tunnel."

There was a short applause which made me grow redder. Sheila giggled and elbowed me in the side, and Chris gave me a pat on the back. Luckily, the moment ended quickly and everyone started gathering their belongings. Volker turned to me and said, "How about you? Are you going to join us?"

"Thank you, sir, but I think I will find my own way," I replied.

"Ha! I knew you would say that. God speed, son!" Volker said as he slapped me on the back.

"What's this about you ALWAYS speaking only for yourself, huh? Sir, _we_ will be finding _our_ own way," Sheila exclaimed. "You aren't getting rid of us THAT easily," she laughed. "Right, Chris?"

She looked at Chris who looked to be lost in contemplation. He looked up and said, "Huh? Oh. Well… I kinda want to get out of this mountain to be honest. It seems that going with them would be the quickest way out," he said nervously.

"Whaaa?" exclaimed Sheila. "You can't be serious, Chris! We've had tough times getting to this point but we have to all stay together. That's why we can call ourselves a team!"

I felt something inside me give and said to Chris, "Look, do what you want, ok?" Sheila turned to me with a look of shock and alarm. "Only you know what is best for you and your pokemon. Mt. Moon has been here as a milestone for trainers since the League began. If you want to take the easy way out, go ahead. I won't stop you, but don't be surprised when I don't sympathize with you."

"H-hey, I didn't mean I wanted to quit. We've just been here so long and we should have been through already and-"

"If you have learned anything from traveling with me, it is that I do NOT take the easy way out. Quitting, cutting corners, and being lazy lead to complacency. Complacency leads you to settle for mediocrity. I have no desire to travel with someone who is ok with being mediocre," I said back sternly.

Chris' face hardened and he said quietly, "I am not mediocre."

"That remains to be seen," I said. "So what will it be, Chris? Will you take the easy way out? Or will you stick with it to the end?" Azrael growled behind me.

Chris' frown intensified and he exclaimed, "I'm staying, ok?" He went quiet after that.

I smiled and met Sheila's gaze. She had a baffled look mixed with gratitude, but she said nothing. Volker laughed and said, "There really is something special about you, kid! Keep it up and one day I might see you in the ring!"

With that, Volker walked over to Caesar and returned him after patting him on the side. He then released his Xatu who bowed slightly to him. Volker looked over to me and gave a wink before he and his psychic bird disappeared.

"ALRIGHT! EVERYONE FROM HERE TO THE BACK COME WITH ME!" bellowed Aoro. He stood in the middle of the crowd and started ushering people along. "Do NOT fall behind or else Crusher might see you as wounded prey!" That got people moving faster. A few people stopped by to thank me personally.

After about ten minutes, Katherine yelled, "Everyone else, let's go!" and proceeded down into the depths of the tunnels. More people passed by and thanked me, Sheila, and Chris. I even saw Amanda pass by and flash me a smile. As the crowd of people disappeared, I was acutely aware of the change in lighting. There were a few trainers left behind, aside from Sheila, Chris, and I.

I released Gilles to accompany Azrael and Rufus. More pokemon began being released by various trainers after they saw me release my pokemon. The tunnel was lit once again by the many flashing lights coming from various pokemon. Larry was braying beside Sheila, with Kara flashing light, and Jade lighting up the area around Chris.

"Hmm. Well let's make camp for the night. I don't want to accidentally catch up to the group," I said to my teammates. "Plus, I'm tired. We've been running all night and I need to rest."

"No kidding!" sighed Sheila as she sat down next to the smoldering fire. The amount of combustible material was low. Chris sat down on the other side of fire and stayed quiet. I let him brood. It was his decision to stay or to go. I never told him he had to come with us and he knew damn well by now how I trained.

Sheila, however, moved over to him and started comforting him. _You are too nice, Sheila._ I looked at Rufus and Gilles and said, "You two did an amazing job tonight. Rufus, you really pulled through." He responded with a long, drawn out yawn and a wag of his short tail. "Azrael, I'm sure you could have helped as well, but I know how much you hate the ice and snow." He snorted and yawned as well. Gilles proceeded to float around, throwing rocks occasionally.

Some of the remaining trainers left, while others, some of whom I recognized from running beside us all night, followed our example and set up camp. That night, for some reason, I slept better than usual. In spite of the hard dirt and rock ground under my side, I still laid my head against my best friend and the darkness of the tunnel put my mind at ease, allowing me to fall asleep relatively quickly.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Sometime later, I was roused from my slumber by the sounds of shuffling and light playing on the backs of my eyelids. Trainers were moving on into the caverns and I noticed Chris and Sheila stirring as well. The trainers gave us as wide a berth as possible in the tunnel, probably because of the dragon who growled whenever they came too close. And whenever he growled, the rumbling in his stomach would cause my head, which lay against it, to vibrate with it.

Sheila woke with a start and said grumpily, "Azrael, you need to be nicer. People will like you more." Azrael gave a snort and ignored her. I checked my watch; it was almost noon but the entire entrance of the tunnel was blocked by snow, rendering the passage completely dark. Well, it would have been so if not for the glow of the trained pokemon and the flashlights.

"Ugh, I guess we should probably get going too," I said as I rose from on top of Azrael. I looked around in the dim tunnel and found a protein bar with little trouble. Sheila grumbled and rose from her sleeping bag and Chris wordlessly shifted out of his bag.

"Ugh! Larry can you light this place up? I can't see a darn thing!" raged Sheila as she shuffled around. I raised an eyebrow at her. It was dark but the light from the other pokemon groups, though far away, was bright enough for us to see in our camp. Larry's tail lit up and I had to close my eyes because of the sudden influx of light. After a few seconds, I was fine and we began packing up our camp.

We were neither the first, nor the last trainers to leave. Some stayed back and continued to sleep or converse while we followed the tunnel into the mountain. Azrael walked beside me and, when the path became too narrow for us to walk side-by-side, he made the path larger by digging out the walls. He didn't have to do that often, because for hundreds of years, trainers had made their way through the mountain and had cleared away much of the direct route; enough for pokemon to walk comfortably with their trainers.

I was delighted when, after digging through a section of the tunnel wall, Azrael emerged with a stone in his mouth that gave off a faint yellow glow. After he dropped it at my feet, I picked it up and noticed how my hair started standing on end. "Oooh, that's a thunderstone!" said Sheila. "My dad doesn't get too many of those but I recognize it. You're lucky!" she said with a hint of jealousy.

I stored it and began to think about what I could possibly use it for. For the moment, I did not have any electric pokemon so my options were limited. I would just have to find a use for it later.

Sheila, Chris, and I all traveled through the cave with our pokemon outside of their balls. At some points, we had to travel in a wide line because there was not enough room for us to spread out. When we reached large cavernous expanses, we were able to spread out.

During the first couple of days, encounters were sparse and yielded meager amounts of food for our group. Afterwards, pokemon became easier to find. Whether that was because the pokemon were returning to their lairs after being scared out by the enormous crowds, or we had simply gone a different route, we were able to find food. Azrael was still teaching Rufus to cook food correctly, but he was learning fast.

Our hike through the caverns, reminiscent of our first several weeks in Mt. Moon, was dark and difficult. Large groups of Zubat with an occasional Golbat were common. We never came across another monstrous Golbat, thankfully. Ground and rock pokemon were also common to stumble upon. Azrael, Gilles, and Rufus were comfortable in the dark. Chris's Zoroark, Psyduck, and Ariados seemed fine with the dark, as well, but most of Sheila's pokemon were not.

It was in large caverns that we ran into other trainers. While the majority simply said hello and went on their way, we had our fair share of challenges. Since we were a group of three, we had to split the challenges between ourselves so that we all could gain battling experience. Most trainers did not care, though, and humored our decision for the battler. I never lost a battle and neither did Sheila, but Chris lost a battle to a kid with an Electabuzz.

Outside of the caverns and tunnels, we were met with large valleys and passes barred by vast amounts of snow. Azrael burrowed under the snow and searched for the next mountain entrance before he and Rufus melted enough of the snow to make a path, though Rufus had trouble with the ensuing water drainage. Azrael had attempted to teach Jade and Ray to dig, but their types were too different from ground to learn it by observation. If they ever wanted to learn how to dig effectively, they would need a T.M.

It was during the several hours each time Azrael went searching for the next entrance that we trained and rested. Chris and I wrestled in preparation for the Fighting Dojo. Rufus and Gilles played shadow chicken which is a drill where Gilles sent a shadow ball at Rufus who manipulated the darkness around the ball to send it back. Gilles then would manipulate the ball, sending it back at Rufus, and so on until one of them couldn't stop it and was hit.

Over time with the drill, the shadow ball would travel faster because each pokemon would add some force to it with their manipulation. This drill built their non-physical attack prowess, their non-physical defenses, and their speed. When we were not moving, Azrael would participate in drills consisting of punching the walls or joining the shadow-batting exercises.

During those times, Chris started to learn how to create his own training drills which utilized his pokemons' abilities. Pierce practiced making illusions from the environment in which Ray and Jade had to either resist or go along with. Those in which they had to participate had different sets of objectives such as dodging imaginary projectiles or racing to imaginary points.

Sheila had Kara throwing spores as far as the little flower could. She had Larry practicing his accuracy with lighting by zapping rocks that Shade was telekinetically throwing. She also had Lady punching rocks to make her attacks stronger.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

During our two and a half-week travel through the remainder of Mt. Moon, there were only two incidents worth noting. The first was both glorious and mystifying.

We had found ourselves in a large cavern and our light had caught the attention of a trainer. We heard a rough voice say, "Well lookie here," as a large and sturdily-built man stepped out from behind a stalagmite formation. Our pokemon formed a mass of monsters around us but the man did not seem to care.

"I've been wanting to test my pokemon against someone for a while now," he said, looking at me. "Haven't seen hardly anyone since I entered this tunnel, and this tunnel goes a long way, kid."

I nodded and said, "Alright, then. I'll take your challenge." Sheila and Chris gave us a wide berth, which left us in dim lighting. Azrael lay in wait under the ground, Gilles was invisible somewhere nearby, and Rufus stood at the ready by my side.

"Onix, GO!" yelled the burly man. The ground rumbled and a large rocky snake emerged from the ground and curled up in front of him. It nearly touched the ceiling as it loomed above me, peering down in a menacing and aggressive manner.

I stomped and slid my foot forward, sideways. A second later, the ground swelled and the Onix was thrown to the wall, crashing into it and collapsing the ceiling adjacent to it. The Onix was stunned for a second but quickly recovered. It burrowed into the wall by command of its trainer.

"Sandstorm, Azrael," I ordered and he kicked up a whirling vortex of dirt, immediately reaching out ten feet from him. As it continued to grow in size, Azrael was flung from the epicenter and sent crashing into another wall by the Onix exploding from underneath him. The Onix was big enough and the sandstorm was weak enough that Azrael could not effectively hide from it.

I was not worried, however. Well, for Azrael, that is. The Onix landed a solid hit and was starting to fling rocks at him. Azrael's lip curled and he let out a bellow that rattled our bones before projecting a jet of flames at the Onix. The Onix shielded itself by curling up and when it unfurled, Azrael was already on top of it. He had sprinted quickly after his attack and drove his deadly claw into the Onix's jaw, producing a gash through the bottom half of its mouth.

The Onix screeched in pain, forcing me to clamp my hands over my ears. I slid my foot forward sideways and the screeching stopped as a wall of dirt sandwiched the Onix into the cavern wall. Both pokemon were then returned. The Onix had passed out and Azrael needed to calm down. The hiker then released a Geodude.

"Gilles, put it to sleep and then pound it into the ground," I said with a grin. My ghost materialized in front of the rock pokemon as a large face with black and white circling eyes, forcing the Geodude into an artificially induced slumber. The Geodude awoke to the pain of its face being pummeled over and over again by a shadowy fist. When its eyes opened and it let out a screech, Gilles fell back and started sending shadow balls crashing into it.

The Geodude managed to fling some mud at Gilles, causing a small amount of damage, but it was put down before any significant amount of damage was inflicted upon Gilles. A second Geodude was then released and I ordered Gilles to repeat the process. He was very adept at putting other pokemon to sleep; especially dumb rock pokemon. However, Gilles managed to sustain another couple hits from mud and rock.

When the hiker pulled out another ball, I returned Gilles and looked down at Rufus whose tail started wagging immediately after my gaze fell upon him. "You're next, Rufus." He barked joyfully and bounded in front of me, where he waited, poised. The hiker was bathed in dim light but I could make out a smile.

He released a pokemon that resembled a crab whose body was a large mushroom; a four foot-tall mushroom, to be exact. It was a Parasect and they were known to have very potent poisons. Its bug type was strong against Rufus' dark type but Rufus' fire type was strong against the Parasect's bug and grass types.

The hiker immediately opened up with an order for the Parasect to release paralyzing spores. Rufus fought through them as I ordered him to release a cloud of smog. I silently thanked Sheila and Kara for helping my pokemon develop a resistance to the spores. I made a mental note to audibly thank them later.

The cloud of smog blocked the light coming into the area and left the two battling pokemon, as well as their trainers, in a dark, hot cloud. My eyes watered but I noted how I could still see Rufus through the blackness, though I could only see his outline and obvious features. I yelled through the smoke, "Flamethrower!" and the area lit up with hot dancing flames. The tendrils of flame coalesced into one focal point: the center of Parasect's mass. The creature chittered painfully as the flames died out.

In the darkness of the smog, I saw the creature fall limp. The darkness around them then enveloped Rufus. It looked as if the smog was swirling into him, hiding him completely from view before he emerged from the depths of the blackness, two feet taller. In place of his skull plate, he had a pair of horns protruding from his head which curled backwards. He had an extra white ridge across his back and now two white bands on each ankle. His tail had elongated and grown a triangular arrow-head tip at the end, and he had a white band around his neck which held a skull-shaped bone at his throat.

Rufus' head now came up to my chin and he emerged from the shadows with his eyes burning like small fiery pieces of coal. "Rufus! I'm so proud of you! You look so STRONG now!" I praised him. His tail began to slightly wave back and forth, as he was no doubt confused with his new form. I walked through the smog, holding my hand between his two front ridges on his back, towards the hacking hiker.

"Good battle!" I said to him as a tried to clear my throat of the smog.

"Yeah, yeah. You win," he said, coughing, and handed me a wad of cash before hurrying away. I approached my two teammates, though I went around the smog this time. I received two startled exclamations as my newly evolved Houndoom accompanied me into their light.

Proud is one way to put how I felt toward my pokemon, though I would consider that a substantial understatement. Azrael's power was second to none, in my eyes, Gilles was shaping up to be a "special attack" powerhouse, and Rufus had already reached his final evolutionary stage, which was a popular breed of pokemon seen in the big leagues. My team was already shaping up to be more-than-formidable.

That "night," to the cumulative chagrin of our party, I found Rufus peeing on Sheila's and Chris' tents. He also portrayed signs of aggressive alpha dog behavior. These signs included protectiveness over his own food and, ironically, Azrael and Gilles. It was quite touching to see a hound growling at potential threats to a dragon three times his size, though Azrael did not seem to share the sentiment. Despite his new troublesome demeanor, I was grateful for and proud of my pokemon's achievement.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The second incident happened as we were approaching an exit from the caverns. The snow that had piled just outside the exit had a hole near the top of the opening that looked as if the bat pokemon had forced their way through. The ceiling on the incline towards the exit had a beautiful array of icicles; some bigger than my body.

We were trudging towards the wall of snow when we found ourselves fighting a multitude of airborne adversaries. It was late in the day so it came as no surprise, in hindsight, that a large swarm of Zubat and a couple Golbat surged from the depths of the caves towards the exit.

The cloud of Zubat swarmed towards the opening and found us in their path. We tried to evade them by moving to the side but many of them decided to attack us. The air was bathed in fire as Azrael and Rufus let out jets of flame. Some still managed to get past the fire and met with the claws and teeth of our pokemon, and my knife.

The commotion lasted for several minutes, leaving many dead Zubat smoldering or twitching on the ground around us. To our surprise, the activity had loosened an area of the ceiling where icicles were hanging, and a large portion of them started to fall.

As we watched the falling spikes in slowed horror, our pokemon took action. Ray and Shade combined their strength to create a telekinetic barrier between our heads and the sheet of falling, deadly spears. The sheet crashed into the barrier and was engulfed in fire. The icicles melted quickly and rained cold water down upon our heads. Gilles was blasting chunks away with shadow balls, Pierce was doing the same, and Lady was crashing her armored fists in to sections of the ice, shattering them.

The weight of the ice must have been substantial because Ray and Shade were straining. I looked to the Chris and Sheila and yelled, "Return your pokemon, except for Ray and Shade!" They gave me perplexed and frightened looks but followed my lead when I returned Azrael, Rufus, and Gilles. "Get out from underneath it! It won't hold for long!" I yelled.

We made our way down the path underneath the sheet of ice. I was behind Sheila and Chris, physically pushing them forward. When we were about five feet from the edge of the sheet, we heard a cry from behind us and we looked back in horror as Shade collapsed from the strain. The ice above us buckled and fell.

At that moment, as Shade hit the ground, she burst into white light and the ice came to a halt. We rushed to the edge and dived out from underneath the ice. Immediately Shade and Ray were returned and the ice crashed to the floor. We released our pokemon and admired Sheila's newly evolved Kirlia.

She was now three feet tall, had two red horns running through her green, dense hair, and looked to be wearing a white tutu. Her slender legs protruded underneath and wicked red eyes shown from the gaps in her hair. Sheila had tears running down her face; ones that had started in terrified sadness, and ended in joyful pride and relief. Chris was visibly shaken as well, holding his little Psyduck in a death grip that had Ray quacking for air.

We spent a few minutes with our pokemon in gratitude until we were ready to move on. When we finally decided to continue, we had to melt the floor because it was too slick and jagged to cross. When we came to the wall of snow at the exit, we rested while Azrael set off underground to search for the next cave entrance.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

When we emerged from the final exit of Mt. Moon, we all let out a cry of relief. One piece of evidence that clued us into the fact that we were finished was the lack of a wall of snow barring us from our exit. Instead, we faced a one-foot-high layer of snow. Another clue was the slope of the mountain in front of us. There were no mountains rising to meet us in the distance; all that lay ahead was a rolling downward slope filled with pine trees and sunlight; no perpetual wall of snow blocked our view of the environment.

We immediately made camp to celebrate the end of our passage through Mt. Moon. We made a fire with the help of Rufus; Azrael had not been given the chance to help with fire since Rufus had evolved. However, Azrael did help us gather firewood by felling a small tree and tearing it to pieces with his sharp claws.

That night we gathered around the fire, laughing and joking. We feasted on the Zubat jerky we had made from the never-ending flow of Zubat in Mt. Moon who seemed to have death wishes. I had to scold Rufus for peeing on Chris' tent, though he immediately peed on Sheila's tent after I finished.

That was it. I walked over to Rufus who was apathetically peeing on Sheila's tent, and, with a burst of strength, jerked him back and threw him off of his feet. With a surprised yelp, he fell backwards under my hand and his back hit the ground. I held him on his back with my hand on his neck and my other hand under his sternum.

"This will stop, NOW," I said, baring my teeth at Rufus and staring him in the eyes. He struggled slightly and found no give. I held him there until he stopped squirming, and then for another minute. "You do not get to piss on anything to establish dominance or territory unless I tell you to. Is that clear?" He didn't move and I didn't expect an answer.

Eventually I released him and stood up. He rose slowly with his tail between his legs and followed me back to where I was sitting. I sat down in front of Sheila, who had a bewildered look on her face, and Chris, who was chuckling.

"You can be downright scary sometimes," he laughed.

"Or cruel, maybe," said Sheila, looking at Rufus with pity.

"I didn't hurt him," I said back. "He knows what he's doing isn't acceptable and he needed to be reminded of who's the alpha here." I looked at Rufus who had curled up beside me with his ears pinned back on his head. I rubbed the back of his neck and he grumbled slightly. Azrael snorted with amusement and Gilles cackled above me, no doubt taunting Rufus.

Gilles was rewarded with a small line of fire being shot at him. He took the hit and continued to chortle while doing barrel rolls in the air. We all giggled at this show and Sheila said, "Maybe you're right this time. He just looks like he's pouting, now, hehe." Rufus let out a whiny groan and we all laughed again.

That night, I lay in my tent, curled up with Rufus and Azrael. Amidst the quiet trance of the serene mountainside, I dreamt of Raeda's screams. I was forced to sit and watch her being eaten by the monstrous Golbat. Midway through the nightmare, a familiar pair of large eyes and a grinning maw intersected my line of vision and somehow blocked the screams from my hearing. A little while later, I woke up with a tear rolling down my cheek and saw Gilles' shadowy mass condensed beside me. I thanked him and went back to sleep.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The morning came and we started our downward descent towards what we believed to be Route 4. My feet were cold, despite being double-wrapped with socks and clad in heavy hiking boots. I checked my PokeDex and found the temperature to be 4˚F. I shivered and we moved on.

It's funny how much I had come to miss meals of Pidgey, Spearow, and Rattata. After spending so long in Mt. Moon, eating nothing but Zubat, the bats had lost their flavor. I had never been so happy to cook a fat Pidgey in my life. The sun and foliage seemed to have a benign influence on my teammates, as well.

Sheila's smile had never been so bright. It shone on her face whenever she looked at Kara who seemed to be enjoying the sun immensely. She played in the sun with her pokemon and she looked happier than ever. Chris, likewise, had begun to talk more and more. He was back to his old chatty self whom I knew when we first met.

My pokemon – even Gilles – seemed to enjoy being outside of the cave. Azrael soaked in the sunlight with his black scales, Rufus ran around in the wide open terrain, and Gilles, though he stuck to the shadows of the trees, seemed to expand his cloud and laugh more often.

I called my parents to notify them that I had finally exited the mountain. They were relieved to hear so and I let them know that I was heading to Cerulean City. I had only had a few opportunities to call them in the past few weeks, since the only time I had cell service was in the snowed-out valleys. After the first time I called them, they were in a panic, worrying that I had been caught in the blizzard. I had assured them that I was fine. They also knew about the mystery trainer who had alerted the rangers about the storm, and I told them it was me. They were astounded and asked how I knew about the storm. I told them I caught an Absol and they became quiet. They knew the sayings about Absol. In the end, I told them that I was alright and they were somewhat comforted.

Our second night on the downward slope came after a day of outdoor training – our favorite kind because of the open terrain and the forest environment. I took advantage of the shift in training atmosphere, and, as a result, we did not make a lot of progress down the slope.

As we sat around the campfire, Chris spoke up, "So I was thinking… Can we possibly pick up our pace towards Cerulean? I want to get there as soon as possible."

We sat in silence for a little bit. I'm not sure what Sheila was thinking but I was slightly annoyed that he might be trying to rush us forward for the sake of speed or because he was trying to take the easy way out again. "Why do you want to get there so quickly? It will still be there regardless of how long it takes us to reach it."

"Please don't misunderstand. It's not that I want to quit. It's just… The date is December 14th and I'm turning sixteen years old on the 19th. I kinda wanted to be in the city to celebrate. You know, have my first beer?"

I was taken aback. Never once since we had been traveling together had I even asked my companions' ages. Sheila answered first, "Of course we can pick up the pace, right?" looking at me. "I'm sure our pokemon are fit for the Cerulean gym anyway. It wouldn't hurt to get there a little earlier, for the sake of your birthday, Chris."

"Okay. We will pick up the pace for you, Chris," I said. "But I'm not sure if we will get there on time for your birthday… I'm not sure where Route 4 is, yet. I mean, the plan for me was to just head down the mountainside until we reached some sort of marker or sign. That being said, we can still cut the training sessions short and try to get to Cerulean ASAP."

Sheila smiled at me and then at Chris. "So it's decided! Why didn't you tell us earlier, Chris?"

"I don't think we know each other's birthdays," I said. "I'll start. We now know that Chris will be turning sixteen on December 19th. I'll be turning eighteen on August 20th of next year. Sheila?"

"I'll be seventeen next year on April 5th. I was a bit old for my class," Sheila said. "And I wouldn't go for beer if I were you. It's gross. I like mixed drinks; something with a bite!"

"I don't know… My dad loves beer. What do you think?" he asked, looking at me.

"To be honest, I've never had alcohol," I said, reminiscing about my mother's problem with a scowl.

"Really?" asked Chris. "You've been legally able to drink for over a year and you haven't had one?"

"It's for reasons I don't really feel comfortable talking about," I said nervously.

"Oh… Sorry then. I hope you don't look down on me for wanting to get a drink on my birthday… I won't push you to drink," said Chris, trying to recover.

"It's no problem. I know why people our age want to. I won't hold it against you. Just don't overdo it." I said. I looked to Sheila and saw her staring at me with a peculiar expression. Pity? Understanding? Jealousy? I couldn't place it so I just asked, "What?"

Her expression changed back to normal and she said simply, "Nothing." I was confused, but then again, it was not the first time so I just dismissed it. "Well I'll have a couple drinks with you, Chris. He can have a Moomoo Milk," she said, pointing at me and giggling.

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically and continued to eat. It was a fairly cheerful night, despite my recollection of my mother's drinking problem. The next morning, I held a short cardio/ endurance session with sprints to get our blood running before we continued down the mountain side. Amazingly, we reached the "bottom" of the slope near the end of the day and came upon a small cottage.

Sheila went to knock on the door in order to procure directions to Route 4, and instead wound up getting our group invited to dinner and lodging for the night. The only compensation the little old lady wanted was for us to tell her tales of our journey, but only when her husband arrived. It was late so we decided to accept her invitation, but I stayed outside in order to spend time with my pokemon; after all, Azrael couldn't fit inside her house easily, and Gilles would scare her, no doubt.

Sheila stayed inside with the lady and helped her make dinner while Chris yammered on about everything and nothing. Soon, Azrael perked up and lifted his lip, facing away from the house. I followed his gaze and saw a large, six foot-tall Camerupt making its way towards us. The red furred camel, whose two humps were small volcanoes, was towing a bundle of logs as big as I, and was being led by an older man with a short white beard.

When he saw Azrael's defensive snarl, he flinched and stopped. I quickly intervened and said, "My apologies, sir, we were just lounging outside. Your wife invited us for dinner." He nodded and approached, though he and his Camerupt were eyeing Azrael warily. I looked up to Azrael and said, "It's alright. Let's help him. Get a little strength training in for today?" Azrael stomped once and we walked over to the man.

"Let us help you with those logs, sir. It's the least we can do for your family's hospitality," I said to him. He gave a hearty smile and accepted, allowing me to tie some of the logs onto Azrael's back. We helped take them over to a wood chopping platform before I realized he was going to manually chop them up.

I put a hand out and said to him, "Here, let Azrael do that for you. He could use some exercise and he would get the job done much faster than by hand."

The man smiled again and said, "You are awfully helpful, young man. Thank you very much for your help, although I wouldn't have minded the labor; relaxes the mind, you know?" He watched Azrael slash through the logs with ease, and said, "That is quite a dragon you got, there. And such a terrifying name. I'm amazed you were able to tame him."

"It wasn't easy. He's the most powerful friend I've had the pleasure of training with," I replied, looking at Azrael with admiration.

"You'll have to tell me how you were able to, over dinner. I insist," he said. I agreed and we stayed outside until the wood was all chopped. I even helped Azrael by picking up an axe and cutting some of the logs.

Our meal was delicious – Pidgey stew with vegetables – and our conversation was hearty. I told the old couple, James and Miriam, how I came to catch Azrael, and they were very impressed. After dinner, the conversation moved to in front of their fireplace. The old couple was rocking on chairs and we were sitting on the floor atop pillows. We were given blankets and pillows to sleep on and permission to keep one pokemon inside with us, as long as they wouldn't break anything.

I had Rufus with me, Chris had Pierce, and Sheila had Kara. Azrael wanted to stay out, even if he had to be outside in the cold, so I obliged him, but Gilles preferred to stay in his pokeball, away from the cold. In the morning, we awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs, and my appetite rejoiced. The meal was delicious and allowed us to start our day in good spirits.

We thanked the old couple, who gave us directions to Route 4, and started packing our things. As I was almost finished, James approached me and said, "My wife and I are grateful for your company and good spirits. I also appreciate your help in chopping firewood. I found your story to be truly moving and inspirational, young man. You treat your pokemon well, but do not allow them to become lazy. I would like to thank you in my own way."

He held out a pokeball and I was taken aback. "I'm sorry sir, I couldn't possibly accept."

"Look at this more as a gift to your family for raising such a well-mannered and mature son. I think it's terrible that your father lost his business so suddenly. If you do not want to train this pokemon, you can give it to him. Perhaps a fire trainer such as him would possess the know-how to raise him correctly," he smiled brightly.

I recoiled inwardly at the irony but said, "I truly do appreciate your generosity, sir. But I really couldn't accept your Camerupt. He is your only help around here, correct?"

"Oho no, boy! This is not old Perry; this is his egg! I just don't know if my wife and I can take care of a young Numel. I discussed it with old Perry and he was alright with the decision. This is my way of thanking you, so please accept it," said James.

"Thank you sir; I really appreciate it. I will do my best to make sure this Numel is given the best treatment," I said, allowing him to place the ball in my hand. I opened the panel to see the egg being displayed. Red letters flowing across read "Release Egg to Incubate." I then formulated a plan and stored the ball safely in my pack.

Many thanks were given on behalf of both the old couple and our group before we finally headed out. We traveled fast, trying to make as much progress towards Cerulean City as possible.

"You are one lucky duck, you know?" Sheila said to me with a hint of jealousy. She was wearing a new necklace that I hadn't seen her wear before we spent the night at James' and Miriam's house.

"Perhaps. But I also believe in a level of Karma," I retorted.

"Are you going to raise the Numel for your team?" asked Chris.

"Actually, no. I already have a fire type and a ground type so I would rather look for other types of pokemon to round out my team," I said matter-of-factly.

"You aren't going to sell him, are you?" gasped Sheila.

"Of course not," I said unemotionally. Sheila visibly sighed with relief. "If I didn't know what I wanted to do with it, I would probably offer it to one of you two. However, I _do_ know what I want to do with the egg," I said with a smile.

"What's that?" asked Chris.

"I will give it to my father. He has years and years of experience in raising fire pokemon. Even if they were stallions, they were still fire pokemon. He might consider opening a new business if I give him enough of a start," I said.

"That's really nice of you," said Sheila with her bright smile spread across her face.

"I just hope he lets me give it to him," I joked, though inwardly I was actually nervous that he might not accept.

We traveled at a brisk pace for three days. We were still on the road on the morning of the 19th, but the route was becoming much more populous, signifying our growing proximity to Cerulean. Sheila woke us all up with a bellowing tune of "Happy birthday to you," accompanied by Larry's braying, Lady's buzzing and screeching, and Kara's and Shade's dancing. It almost backfired when Azrael awoke grumpily and snarled at them, but I calmed him down before he blew fire at them.

Chris was appreciative, all the same. I looked to him and said, "We will get you to Cerulean before tonight, I promise." He smiled and we all packed to begin our day's travel to Cerulean. Sheila skipped much of the way and we returned our slower pokemon so that we could travel as fast as possible. All of my pokemon stayed outside of their balls, I allowed Kara to ride on the back of Rufus, though it was uncomfortably hot for her, and Chris had to return Jade and Ray. We took breaks only to use the restroom and to eat.

The sun started getting low on the horizon at about 7:00 but we could see the lights of the city in the distance. Two hours later, we trudged through the snow into the city's limit, forcing us to return our pokemon. We made our way quickly to the closest Pokemon Center and admitted our pokemon to the medical desk. We relaxed for a little while, showered up and waited for our clothes to wash while we ate a hot meal and planned the night.

"It's now 11:00. By the time our clothes are done, it will be midnight, which, if Kanto is anything like Hoenn, gives us three hours to go to a bar or club," said Sheila thoughtfully. Do you want to go to a bar or do you want to go dancing?" she asked Chris.

"I don't really want to dance… So, a bar?" he said hesitantly.

"Fine then. You're no fun," said Sheila, pouting.

"I don't know anywhere to go in Cerulean, to be honest," I said.

"That's not too hard to find out. Let's just go around and ask!" said Sheila enthusiastically.

Chris and I were swept up in Sheila's dramatic and enthusiastic search for a good bar. Her zeal led us to multiple trainers and PokeCenter employees who gave us a range of bars to choose from, but the majority said that a bar called The Drunken Drowzee was the best value. We learned that it was about a half-an-hour metro ride to the bar so we agreed to go there. While we waited, we registered to compete at the Cerulean gym through our PokeDexes. Our appointment was in four days' time, which came as a shock to me considering how far ahead of us the other trainers were.

After our clothes came back clean, we dressed and left the PokeCenter around midnight. We reached The Drunken Drowzee before 1:00 and I observed that it was full of both trainers and city-people alike. I immediately noted how drunk many of them were, which was obvious from the amount of stumbling around and slurred sentences they exuded.

"Let's get a table, shall we?" suggested Sheila. She led us around, searching for a table amidst the boisterous drunks and some country-sounding song. When she couldn't find one, she found a staircase and led us up to the second floor. There were a few empty tables and a much smaller crowd, which I was grateful for. We sat down and immediately a blonde woman in her twenties showed up with a couple drink menus.

"I'll take a Margarita to start and Chris will have an Amaretto Sour. It's his birthday!" she said excitedly. Chris simply sat back and let her order for him. The waitress looked to me and I simply ordered a glass of ice-water. She returned a little later with a large margarita glass and a rock's glass filled with a brown liquid. "CHEERS!" exclaimed Sheila. "Happy birthday, Chris, and good luck at the Cerulean Gym!" They took drinks of their beverages and they both seemed to like them.

"Oh! You are trainers?" the waitress asked. We nodded and she said, "How long have you been waiting for your matches? I know many trainers have had to wait a week or more."

"We just got here," said Chris.

"Why have people been having to wait so long?" I asked.

"Oh, well I heard from angry customers that when Katherine left to help the trainers in Mt. Moon, someone sabotaged the heating units in her gym pools and they froze over. They had to wait while the heating units were replaced. That backed up the appointments so people had to wait," she explained.

"That's weird," said Sheila. "Why would someone do that?"

"They haven't found a culprit or a reason, from what I understand. It's baffled the gym leader and the police, but there isn't much they can do," she said.

"Well, thank you for the info. In the meantime, we have a birthday to celebrate!" said Sheila and then she ordered Chris to drink it as fast as he could. "Now you can have a beer. Order away!" she said after they finished.

He ordered some domestic stout and Sheila ordered a rum/soda. I ordered another water, choosing not to drink. Someone had to get them back to the PokeCenter safe. At least, that was my excuse. Sheila saw right through it and asked again why I didn't drink.

"It makes people stupid, self-pitying, and helps them escape from their responsibilities, regardless of how important those responsibilities are," I said self-righteously.

"Oh no. Only if they overdo it and drink for the wrong reasons," said Sheila, curling her bottom lip out. "If you drink to have fun and because you like the taste of what you drink, I don't see a problem with it."

"Well, I still would rather not," I said, crossing my arms.

"Oh, alright then," she said and ordered a Long Island Iced Tea for herself and a whiskey/soda for Chris.

Chris literally spat out a mouthful of the stout and exclaimed, "Who would drink this? It's so bitter!"

The waitress laughed and said, "How about a lager? Our local brew is not quite as bitter." Chris nodded and she disappeared with the stout. She reappeared soon after with the lager, the whiskey/coke, and the Long Island and said, "Enjoy!"

Chris was able to stomach the lager, but he didn't like the mixed whiskey. Sheila downed her Long Island and by the time she ordered a third drink, her movements were beginning to look lethargic and Chris's words were beginning to slur. "I think this is the last round for them," I said to the waitress, who agreed and brought a check with the next order of drinks.

Chris had ordered a Long Island after seeing Sheila order one and found that he really liked it. Sheila had ordered some tequila shots for herself. At the time, I did not know what any of the drinks were or how potent they were so I was very surprised when Chris puked on the metro ride back to the PokeCenter.

"Oh… I'm… s-so sorry," he struggled to say while Sheila just burst into hysterical laughter. "H-hey now. D-don't laugh at me… Sheeela," he slurred. She continued to laugh while the disturbed bystanders moved away in disgust.

I cursed in frustration and by the time I corralled them to the PokeCenter, it was well past three in the morning. I had to order glasses of water from the cafeteria to give to both Sheila and Chris. I laid Sheila down on a bench in the lobby while I took Chris into his room and put him into his bed. I figured that Chris was the only one who was sick so he needed my attention first.

I then moved to Sheila who was nearly passed out on the bench. I picked her up and carried her to her room while she continued to giggle. I opened her door and set her on her bed, pulling the covers back afterwards. She lay back with a smile on her face and said, "I like you guys. You are both awesome!"

"That's great, Sheila. You are awesome too," I said lifting her blanket over her. "Go to bed now. I'm sure you're tired."

"Mhmm," she murmured and passed out.

I left her room, closing the door behind me. I lay down in my own bed, not long after, and thought to myself: _They certainly did not become like my mother did. They actually looked like they had fun. That is, until Chris threw up. Maybe Sheila had a point... She tends to do that._

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The next morning, I met Sheila out in the lobby. She had a coffee and was holding her head. "Morning!" I said enthusiastically and overdramatically, sitting down beside her. I had a big grin on and she responded with a sarcastic glower. "Fine morning, don't you think? I can't wait to go outside and greet the world. How 'bout you?" I said to her, keeping my smile.

"Shut up. Let me deal with my hangover in peace. You are way too happy, you know? It's weird," she said.

"H-hey, what's that supposed to mean?" I said, dumbfounded.

"You _know _what I mean," she said, "Now leave me alone, jerk."

"Oh alright. Want anything from the cafeteria? I'm going to go get something to eat."

"Some potato fries, if you wouldn't mind. Make sure they're salty," she said, holding her head.

I came back about five minutes later with her fries and an omelet for myself. She gratefully took the fries and started eating them. "Say, where's Chris? Sleeping in is lazy," I said and headed to his room. When I reached his door, I banged on it, yelling, "Get up Chris! It's already noon. Time to get up!"

The door was opened soon after and Chris looked like crap. "Please don't bang on my door. My head is throbbing as it is. It feels like the banging was on my head."

"Awe," I said, giving a pouty look. "Did someone have too much fun last night?" He simply shook his head and shut the door. I returned to the lobby with Sheila to eat my breakfast. There was little conversation during that time.

By the time I finished, she said, "I'm going back to bed." I bid her farewell as I decided what to do next. I retrieved the Absol and the egg, and withdrew the Pikachu. I had some bargains to look for, though I was hesitant to part with the Absol.

The first thing I did was send the egg back to Viridian electronically. I then called my father and said, "Hi, I'm calling to let you know that I'm scheduled to fight at Cerulean in three days' time. I also had something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Thanks for letting me know. And what do you want to talk to me about?"

"I sent you a gift. You should be able to retrieve it at the closest Pokemon Center"

"What exactly is it?"

"I received something as a gift from a nice family after helping them, and I thought it would be perfect if you had it. It is an egg. Inside is a Numel. I'm sure you know what a Numel is?"

"Yeah I do. I don't know, son… What do you expect me to do with it?"

"Well, I thought you might consider raising it. I'm always coming across many different types of pokemon and I had the idea that if ever I caught any fire pokemon, I would send them to you."

"What's the end goal of this?"

"I thought perhaps you could get a business going again. You wouldn't have to work for someone else and you could do what you love doing."

"I don't know… I don't know if I can do that anymore. It's been so long and we don't have the room."

"I'm working on that. I'm thinking that I could possibly get back the land that Uncle Ray built the fence on. If nothing has changed with it, then the fence is still there and just needs to be fixed and renovated. I realize it's a lot to ask, being that the place has some tainted history, but it's the best thing I can think of. Don't forget, you tried get your business started again afterwards but Blazerunner wouldn't breed."

"Yeah, I remember. I'm going to have to think about it. If you get anymore fire pokemon and want to send them back, then do so. I'll take care of them. That is, unless we start running out of room."

"Alright. If I find any more I will send them to you. With any luck, you can get a fire-type breeder farm going."

"Well I hope you don't feel like you are obligated to do so. I can provide for your mother and myself. But thank you, anyway. Keep in touch."

I then proceeded to look for potential buyers for the Pikachu and the Absol. Ironically enough, I could not find anyone who would even give an offer for Pikachu beyond the Pokemon Traders Guild. I wasn't willing to part with Pikachu for 2,000Pb so I held on to him and sent out an electronic flier.

I did receive many offers for the Absol, but none that I was comfortable taking. The highest offer was 40,000Pb, which was an enormous amount, but I still did not want to part with her. I held on to her and kept my options open. I stopped by the Trainer's Trader and sold the spoils of my hunts before taking a trip to BioTech. Apparently they had been expanding and opened up a store in Cerulean City recently, so I was able to browse their stock of T.M.'s.

I found and bought a move called _Dark Pulse_ for Rufus and looked around for a T.M. that Chris could use, as a birthday gift. Gilles had already taught Pierce to throw shadow balls so I looked for a T.M. for either Jade or Ray. I eventually settled on the T.M. _Scald. _It is a water move with which a pokemon heats up water and sprays another, sometimes causing harsh burns.

I then returned to my search for a Pikachu buyer. Finding no luck, I returned to the Pokemon Center around 4:00 and found Sheila's and Chris' rooms empty. I called them and found out that Sheila had gone to a spa and Chris had gone outside of the city to be with his pokemon.

I took my pokemon from the medical checkout counter and headed to where Chris said he was. I found him throwing snowballs at his pokemon. Ray was psychically picking up small balls of snow and throwing them back, and Pierce was poorly making snowballs with his paws. Jade was in a tree, choosing not to participate.

"Hey Chris! How's fight going?" I asked cheerfully.

He looked over to me with a smile, but before he could answer me, a snowball hit him in the side of the face. He looked back to his pokemon and saw Ray pacing with his arms behind his back. "Oh you! Don't act so innocent. I know you did it, Ray."

The Psyduck hopped and quacked, happily running around and waving his little wings. "Looks like your pokemon have the upper hand," I said, laughing. I let my pokemon out of their balls and said, "Here, I have something for you. Happy birthday." I handed over the T.M.

"Oh, cool! This will work awesomely! Thanks," he said, giving me a big smile. "But this must have cost a lot…"

"Don't worry about it. Just promise me you'll let Ray teach it to one of my pokemon if I ever get a water type," I said cheerfully.

"Agreed," he said, smiling, right before a snowball hit him in the face again.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Author's Note:

Hey everyone. So this chapter took a while to write. Mostly because I've been having to relocate many times, courtesy of a few hectic weeks. It's also getting to be that time of the year when classes start up. As a result, I will not be able to post as often, but never fear; I will deliver.

So, not a _whole_ lot happened in this chapter if you consider depression, anxiety, and cruel-world injustices to be the only things worth reading. If that is the case, then keep reading; I'll find a way to assuage your masochistic desires. Thanks for commenting ralphonso, Jsaint, and jackthehammer, and thank you to those who have continued to comment. I'm sure if I start receiving too many comments, I will just have to give a "thank you to all reviewers" to prevent the author's note from becoming too name-dropping heavy. Lastly, the way I see, this fic is really still beginning, so there will be plenty of time for character development, plot, and grimness. More to come!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

With only two days until my battle, I started developing strategies for fighting water pokemon with my team. Technically, none of my pokemon had a type advantage over water, but that didn't matter since I had a good sense for battling. Having watched a few matches on LeagueWatch, and having gone to the gym for a couple hours after meeting with Chris, I was confident that we stood a chance, regardless of our lack of strength against water types.

From what I gathered by watching the matches, Katherine used a large and diverse medley of water pokemon. She only used three for the initial phase of the challenge, and then one more for the second round. I decided that Rufus would join the fight only if certain pokemon were chosen to fight; those which had a more dominant non-water type.

I decided to release my Pikachu during the few preceding days so that I could attempt to befriend him. I had several reasons for doing so.

The first reason was so that he would not immediately try to zap anyone who tried to interact with him. It was difficult enough to sell a feral pokemon as it was. The second reason was so that I could use him in the battle. I only needed to showcase his strength in one fight, and what better fight than the gym battle? People from all over would see the fight on LeagueWatch and witness how strong the Pikachu was. The main viewers, though, were upcoming challengers of the Cerulean gym.

I made the decision to train Pikachu in private to avoid Sheila's righteous fury. I knew she wouldn't approve so I decided that it was easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

The first couple of times I released the Pikachu ended with me getting shocked before I could return him to his ball. I was eventually able to subdue the little electric brat by releasing him into Azrael's arms. Azrael took the shocks with little to no problems, and the Pikachu was scared into listening to me.

"Alright, little guy. No more shocks, or you will have to deal with Azrael." Its ears twitched. "Now, I'm sorry I haven't been taking you out more often, but changing that is the goal of this entire endeavor. You are one strong little guy and I know someone out there will want to train you if you make a good impression. Katherine generally sends out a weak pure-water type pokemon first so you should have no problem dealing with it. After that, I won't make you fight anymore."

Azrael relayed the message in more understandable terms before the Pikachu adopted an indignant pout. He frowned at me and turned around. "Look. If you do your best and no one wants to train you, I'll return you to Viridian Forest myself." Azrael relayed the message and the Pikachu turned to face me with a look of determination in its eyes.

"That's what I like to see. Now, let's practice orders…"

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

As I was eating at the Pokemon Center with Sheila and Chris the day before my match, I was tracked down and given an interview by a reporter for a local Cerulean news network. After an introduction, the news reporter named Jillian asked me, "How were you able to predict the storm?"

"Well, right before the storm hit, I was hunting for food and came across an Absol," I replied.

"Oooh," Jillian gasped. She looked into the camera and said, "For those of you who don't know, the sighting of Absol has been associated with large catastrophes. They don't actually cause the violent weather, but they know when the weather is about to take a turn for the worse." She looked back at me and said, "It's a good thing you knew about them, and even better that you came across it in the first place. Now I understand that you and your traveling companions alerted the other trainers in the vicinity as well?"

"Yes, ma'am. He told us what happened and we wasted no time," chimed Sheila.

"Well I think a lot of trainers owe their lives to the bunch of you! And you all plan on competing in the Cerulean gym?"

"Yes, and our matches are tomorrow!" said Chris enthusiastically.

I sighed. I did have a plan for showing Pikachu at the match, but I didn't want more publicity than was necessary. Sheila seemed to share a similar opinion because she visibly face-palmed. "Ms. Thomas, thanks for the interview but we have business to attend to," Sheila said.

Chris looked crestfallen and so did the reporter. "Oh, can't you answer a few more questions? Like what pokemon you have? Or what strategy for catching pokemon you used?"

"It's the day before our matches. We have to practice and prepare for tomorrow," I said quickly.

Ms. Thomas gave an exaggerated frown and sighed before looking back at the camera with a smile and saying, "Well, let's give it up for our little heroes and wish them luck on their battles tomorrow!"

We wasted no time leaving after that, and prepared for our impending matches.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Once again, I found myself seated on a cushioned chair and listening to the muffled roar of a crowd. It rose and fell like the waves of water for which the gym was famous. The commentator's voice boomed through the walls and gave the waiting trainers a sense of suspense.

I was anxious because if I lost this, I was bound by my word to return home. The anxiety only served as a distraction, so I just went over different strategies in my mind.

Due to security concerns, we were only allowed to have one pokemon out with us in the waiting area. Unlike in Pewter City, the waiting room was not very large, and Azrael had since evolved to become too big to fit. I released Rufus as my waiting room companion and kept him beside me. His relaxed, yet readied, presence was enough to keep my mind at relative ease.

I stroked his black fur above the skull-bone at his throat and waited. According to the announcer, not a single trainer had won their challenge. _That's what you get for choosing an expedited route at the expense of training._ I looked at the clock, which said 1:45, and then at Chris and Sheila.

Sheila had taken a few hours during the morning to visit a spa in order to make herself look as preened as possible. When she met us at the gym, she was wearing her normal trainer clothes, but her smooth brown hair flowed freely down onto her shoulders. She wore makeup and I couldn't help but be dazzled when I saw her.

I was dressed up in the sense that I was clean, and so was Chris. His jaw dropped upon seeing Sheila and he told her that she looked amazing. Sheila actually had the bravado to say "I know," before leading us into the gym.

For the most part, I was not worried about the challenge because I knew that my pokemon were more than ready. Azrael was level 30, Gilles was level 28, and Rufus was level 26. The standard League pokemon level range for Cerulean City was level 18-20. The only thing I was worried about was the final pokemon, which would be matched to my pokemons' skill levels. The good news was that my pokemon would ideally be in great shape for that fight, since they were so far above the League standard at phase one.

Sheila was smiling at Kara, appearing as if she had no worries in the world. It was not difficult to imagine why, either. Two of her pokemon were strong against water-types, one of which was Kara, her starter and strongest team member.

Chris looked a bit more jittery. He was running his nails through Pierce's fur and was slightly shaking. Sheila also noticed this and proceeded to rub his shoulders while giving him advice. Remembering the kid from the Pewter City gym, my mind immediately labeled him as a possible future loss. _I wonder if that kid actually lost_.

Soon after she finished comforting Chris, Sheila was called out to the gym floor after the previous battler lost. She had signed up first and therefore had an earlier match than we. I was right after her and Chris was after me. When she left, he reverted back to his disheveled state. He was in the same boat as I; his pokemon were not particularly strong against water-types. However, like me, his pokemon should be at a higher level than the League standard.

Sitting there listening to the speaker and watching Chris made me realize something. I had been sitting in judgment of Chris in the waiting room when I had stood beside him in support for the last month. Helping him would not be a sign of weakness on my part, and being nervous is not necessarily a sign of incompetence. After all, I was nervous, too, though not so much that I let it consume my thoughts.

I stood up and walked over to Chris and said, "Chris, calm down; go over strategies; talk to your pokemon; do anything except worry about the fight."

"Have you heard how many people have lost already?" Chris said, shaking. "I don't think anyone has actually beaten her today. My pokemon don't have any special strength against water types."

"Mine don't either. There have, indeed, been a lot of losses today. But Chris, what sets us apart from most other trainers here?"

He thought for a moment before saying, "We didn't take a guide…"

"Exactly. Mt. Moon is a milestone for the simple reason that it prepares you for the gym challenge, among other things. Katherine Holmes is a tough trainer, but we aren't fighting her personal League team; we are fighting the League challenge standard team. You are ready for it. I shouldn't have to reassure you of your pokemons' strength. Furthermore, it is offsetting to your pokemon for them to see their trainer doubting their abilities. Have faith in them and what you, yourself, have trained them to do. You'll find that it is much less stressful."

"Thank you," Chris said as his shoulders sagged in relaxation. I made a mental note to listen to what Sheila said the next time she gave a motivational speech, seeing as how it didn't work. I sat back down and scratched Rufus down the back of his neck, which caused his grin to elongate and his back leg to start kicking.

A few minutes later I heard a muffled, "**Well folks, it looks like we have our first winner today! Give Miss Sheila a hand! We're now ready for the next challenger**!" With that, I stood, anticipating a gym trainer's beckon for me to enter the arena.

As if on cue, the gym trainer's head poked into the room and called out my name. I looked over at Chris and said, "These are not tests of our strength; your training has already proven that to you. This is an exhibition to anyone who would question it."

I then smiled at Rufus and returned him to his pokeball before heading through the archway and into the arena. It amazed me, still, after already witnessing it, that the roar of the crowd was significantly louder outside of the archway. It was like an invisible barrier that muffled noise.

As I walked on the concrete walkway, it turned to grass and dirt, before becoming wet and soppy. The arena was as big as the Pewter City arena at about 400 feet long and 200 feet wide. Much of the terrain held pools of water, tall grass and reeds, and mud. I noticed that in the center of the arena was a large pond which was surrounded by cattails and reeds.

Katherine Holmes stood on the sideline, waiting for me. She wore black and blue athletic pants over a silver and blue one-piece swimsuit. Her light brown wet hair was pulled back into a ponytatail and she had drops of water covering her toned torso. I approached her and she held out a small device while saying, "Link your fighters, challenger."

I did so, registering four pokemon, and gym leader Holmes said, "I am gym leader Katherine Holmes of the Cerulean City gym of the Indigo League. I've been wondering when your group would arrive. One down; two to go. Let's hope you fare as well as Sheila." She winked and then recited the rules for the challenge. "Three substitutions and I reserve the right to call for a switch. Also, this is the first gym to institute a second round. Round one is League standard pokemon and round two is my choice of fighter to challenge your actual skill level. Good luck and welcome to the Cerulean gym."

My pokeballs were displayed across a large electric billboard above the stadium; four pokeballs side-by-side next to my league picture. The other side held leader Holmes' picture and three pokeballs. "**The challenger has taken his position at the far side. Let's see what he throws in first**!" boomed the loudspeakers.

I released the Pikachu, who appeared resting on the soft ground. He looked around and then at me. I held up a fist, signaling him I was ready. His face hardened and he faced the marshy field. "**It looks like he sent out a Pikachu! Let's see what the little electric pokemon is capable of**!" Katherine Holmes released her pokemon into the tall grass and the battle timer began to tick.

I could not see the pokemon, due to the long grass, but it told me it was a smaller pokemon. "Pikachu, stay outside of the long grass. Make it come to you," I ordered, holding out a wide palm towards Pikachu. I saw the grass and reeds moving and parting as the pokemon approached Pikachu slowly.

Finally it emerged and I recognized it as a Krabby, a crustacean that resembled a large crab. As soon as I saw it appear, I yelled, "Thunderbolt!" and cut my hand through the air like a knife. Electricity arched from Pikachu to the little armored crab, lighting it up and causing it to spasm horribly on the ground. "**A one-hit knockout**!" blared the loudspeaker.

"That is quite a powerful Pikachu you have there," Holmes' voice rang through a nearby speaker. "Get ready for my next pokemon." She released her pokemon into the reeds near a pool of water, which camouflaged the new pokemon.

"Hold out there until we figure out what it is," I yelled, before the stalks parted and a small jet of water sprayed into Pikachu's face. I quickly recalled Pikachu, gaining a look at the pokemon inside the reeds. It was a bipedal blue pokemon with green patterns on its body and a lily pad on its head.

"**Looks like the challenger is switching it up**!" the speaker announced. I smiled; I was hoping she would use a Lombre. Lombre are mellow pokemon, compared to most, and their dominant type is grass. This made it susceptible to fire moves. I released Rufus, who awkwardly sank slightly into the muddy quagmire. "**Oh look, a Houndoom! I wonder how long a fire-type pokemon will last here.**"

"Alright Rufus, wait for it to show itself and then use flamethrower! In the meantime, start moving around the edges, where it's not as damp." Rufus started moving around, ears positioned towards the center of the arena. Soon another jet of water streamed from the reeds, prompting Rufus to unleash a large torrent of fire at the source.

The Lombre jumped from the reeds, into the small pool of water. "Smog!" I yelled. Rufus let a large, black, incendiary cloud roll from his open maw which covered the entire area above the small pool. He then backed up and waited again. "Start howling!" He did so, causing his blood to run faster. Flames started reaching out of his mouth as he howled.

The sound of water splashing was heard before a larger torrent of fire was sent into the black fog. It was followed up with a couple weak pulses of dark energy. I saw the fire and dark pulses hit the retreating Lombre, causing it to fall forward. "Good job, Rufus!" I yelled before I returned him, alongside Holmes returning her pokemon. I waited for Holmes to release her next pokemon before I made a choice.

"**Again, the challenger switches pokemon**!" Holmes' last pokemon was large enough to be seen in the tall grass. It was a Quagsire; a large, blue, bipedal salamander. They are known to be fairly unintelligent and mellow as well. I smiled and released Gilles. "**Ooh a **_**Haunter**_!"

"Gilles, energy ball!" I yelled. It was the only move in my pokemons' arsenals that was strong against water. It was also strong against Quagsires' ground type which meant that the move would be devastating; especially when used by a pokemon almost ten levels higher than the Quagsire.

Gilles cackled as the Quagsire mud slapped his shadowy body. He had been gathering energy from the grass around him; there were no larger sources of natural energy. The grass in Gilles' immediate vicinity blackened and wilted as the energy left it and condensed in front of Gilles.

"Hide now! Dig!" yelled leader Holmes. The Quagsire started digging quickly into the marshy ground but Gilles had already gained enough energy to send a small translucent green orb sailing quickly through the air at it. The orb hit the Quagsire in the back and slammed it forward into the ground, face-first. It was then recalled.

"**What a strong technique the Haunter just used! Leader Holmes' Quagsire will be feeling that in the morning! That just leaves one phase left of the match; the lightning round. Will the challenger be the second trainer to beat leader Holmes today? Let's find out!"** the commentator roared. The crowd in the stands responded with a roar of applause and cheering.

Katherine Holmes looked over her datapad for a few seconds before releasing a pokemon into the large pond in the center of the stadium. I was able to glimpse a tall dorsal fin right before it submerged. I was fairly certain I knew what pokemon it was. "Gilles stay high above the water. Don't let it bite you," I ordered.

Gilles flew above the water and readied an energy ball. I watched as time seemed to elongate. It was calm and quiet. The crowd's noise had died down, which left us in an eerie state of anxious suspense. The suspense was shattered in a second when a shark's head emerged from the water traveling at a very high speed.

My prediction was correct; it was a Sharpedo. The body of a Sharpedo is interesting; they have no body past their dorsal fins. Their dorsal fins and pectoral fins look like the fins of a torpedo, which earned the pokemon its name. As a result of having a very small body cavity, Sharpedo have a small stomach and an absurdly high metabolism, which allows them to digest their food while eating it. They are also able to move at high speeds without the help of a tail by shooting water behind themselves to propel forward.

The Sharpedo had launched itself out of the water, straight at Gilles. Gilles' position apparently was not high enough, for the Sharpedo reached Gilles and bit down with a dark crunch. Gilles released his energy ball at point-blank range and hit the Sharpedo in its eye, right after it bit down. The moment was filled with screeching from both Gilles and the Sharpedo. The Sharpedo released Gilles after Gilles released the energy ball, causing the Sharpedo to drop and hit the water with a splash.

"Gilles, come back," I yelled and returned him.

"**Looks like the challenger is switching out his pokemon. Who knows what pokemon he will use next!"** the commentator said with a twinge of sarcasm. He probably thought I was going to use Pikachu. I surprised him when I released Azrael, a thirteen-foot-tall dragon. "**The challenger has sent out a Gabite! And boy, that is a big one!**"

"Interesting," Katherine Holmes said into the speaker.

"Azrael, this is a water fight. Swim in and start slashing. Don't wait to let it strike," I advised. "I won't be able to see you under there. This one's on you, bud."

Azrael stomped, launching particles of mud into the air. He then trudged toward the pond. He dived into the water with a splash. Before long, I could see Azrael's figure below the water twisting and moving. The water dance ended with him exploding from the water with the Sharpedo in his claws.

Azrael's shoulder had particles of ice stuck in a large bite wound, and the Sharpedo had a few gashes on its face. "Keep going Azrael!" I cheered. The Sharpedo struggled to right itself on the marshy grass before Azrael pounced on it and started slashing into it. The Sharpedo used a burst of water from behind to fly out from under Azrael and create some distance.

In its struggle to escape the dragon, the Sharpedo had sped off into a random direction, which happened to be away from the pond. It turned to try and aim itself at the pond but saw Azrael charging it. Instead of flying towards the pond, it aimed itself at Azrael and shot forward.

With a burst of speed that the Gible species is known for, Azrael dodged to the side and dragged his claw along the blind side of the Sharpedo. His claw seemed to grow larger and sharper in that instant, revealing his use of his dragon abilities. The mix of the Sharpedo's projected movement and Azrael's dragon claw resulted in a trail of blood, and a screaming and squirming Sharpedo. As Azrael turned to finish the Sharpedo, it disappeared into its pokeball.

"**The challenger is victorious!**" shouted the commentator. The crowd roared and Katherine Holmes exited her designated position and approached me.

She stood in front of me and said, "Congratulations, trainer. You have successfully beaten the Cerulean City gym challenge and, as such, are awarded the Cascade Badge of the Indigo League." She extended a hand with a badge held loosely.

As I took it and thanked her, she said, "It's quite odd. I'm curious why you didn't use your Pikachu more, considering it held an obvious type advantage over the majority of my pokemon. It was also very strong for its species." She eyed me with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Well, ma'am, I kinda wanted to give my other pokemon some experience fighting water pokemon. It would have been unfair to let only one pokemon fight," I lied.

"You know, kid, it is unwise to lie to a gym leader in their own gym. Pikachu would have been the obvious choice against Sharpedo. _Especially_ since my Sharpedo had ice techniques at his utility. Are you a fool? Or do you take _me_ for a fool?" she asked with checked anger in her voice.

"No, ma'am," I simply said.

"You're going to sell him, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am. I don't want him on my team and I couldn't find anyone who would buy him before-hand."

"I'll say that I absolutely do NOT approve of this. You still earned the Cascade badge fair and square, but you made a mockery of the Cerulean gym challenge by using it to market your pokemon."

I was silent. She was obviously correct. It was common for trainers to showcase their pokemon for sale in fights, but it was not acceptable to do so in a gym battle. Eventually I said, "I am truly sorry for my conduct." I then offered my badge back to her.

"That won't be necessary. But thank you for the sentiment. As it is, I am forgoing the awarding of your prize money. But how about this; if you fight one more pokemon of mine and win, and I will personally take the Pikachu off your hands," she said coolly.

I was shocked. "Isn't that against gym protocol?"

"This is _my_ gym," she said strongly. "Do you accept?" I nodded fervently and took a few steps back.

"**It looks like gym leader Katherine Holmes is choosing another pokemon! This is curious indeed! This must be some special challenge**," pondered the announcer.

I looked to Azrael and saw that he was breathing heavily. His scales on his chest and arms looked as if they had been scrubbed with sandpaper, courtesy of Sharpedo's rough skin. The ice in his wounds had begun to melt, but he looked fairly worse for wear.

Leader Holmes withdrew a pokeball from a machine and took her place at her designated stand. I did so as well while leader Holmes spoke into her microphone, addressing the audience. "This is an exhibition match for the pleasure of the crowd," she said before releasing a twenty-two-foot dragon-fish into the center pond.

My heart sank as the commentator announced, "**Well look here folks! Most people would not get the opportunity, or misfortune, of seeing a Gyarados in the wild. What a treat**!" Pikachu was the only pokemon in my team who was capable of dealing massive damage to the water/flying pokemon. The problem was that I had promised him only one fight. I looked to Azrael and nodded, choosing to keep my word.

"Alright, Azrael. You are almost as big as that fish. Use your claws and breathe fire only when close enough to hit its eyes," I said. He stomped and headed to the large serpentine fish. It was enormous, with a head the size of a small Volkswagen. Azrael trailed blood behind him as he trudged toward the hulking monstrosity.

When he was close enough, he rushed forward with a breath of fire. The Gyarados let Azrael get in close and tear a chunk out of its scaled belly. No sooner had he done so did Leader Holmes yell, "ICE FANG." I gasped as the large head of the Gyarados reclined and struck forward, sinking its large icy fangs into Azrael's back. Azrael roared and tore himself away, tearing a piece of his dorsal fin off.

I immediately recalled him as I saw him falter. With a snarl, I released Gilles. Alright Gilles, keep your distance and shoot energy balls at him." He looked over at the Gyarados and zoomed forward, taking the life force of the plants around him with him. He released a steady volley of them at the Gyarados, who decided to submerge after the first two.

When he emerged, he brought with him a tidal wave that hit Gilles out of the air and even reached me, drenching me in green water. I saw Gilles struggling to remain aloft after the hit. He must have received a significant injury when the Sharpedo bit him. He released a couple more energy balls before the Gyarados used another wave of water.

The force of the impact, which hit Gilles despite his formless nature, sent Gilles' shadowy matter toward the ground. I returned him before he hit the ground and debated my last choice. I chose to forfeit instead of continue. My desire to win the match was not as important as Rufus's safety. Furthermore, I intended to keep my promise to Pikachu. My decision was to take the shame of the defeat in front of the crowd.

"**The challenger has forfeited! Looks like leader Holmes' Gyarados was too much for him to handle! Now for the next challenger.**"

"I hope you understand what happened here," Katherine Holmes said as she approached.

"I do. This was very inappropriate conduct for a league trainer," I said remorsefully.

"Indeed it was. I appreciate you not using Pikachu for the fight. Still, you did not beat me, and therefore I will not take your Pikachu. I hope you learn from this. If you ever want to redeem yourself to me, I look forward to your formal challenge; a challenge to me and not one of the Indigo League. Lastly, if you still have that Absol, stop by the gym an hour after it closes and we can discuss its future, considering you didn't use it in the challenge," she told me.

I nodded and said, "I will, ma'am. Thank you for the opportunity." I left my response at that and stopped by to register my pokemon. I did not receive the award money, but I did receive the T.M. _Water Pulse_, much to my relief. It was a great ranged water attack that I was looking forward to receiving.

Sheila was waiting for me outside of the victors' chamber with a glare and a frown that could scare off even the meanest Gastly. I immediately braced myself for her onslaught but received only a heated glare. "We can talk later, mister. Right now Chris is challenging Ms. Holmes and it would be disrespectful to miss his match on account of chewing you out."

"Fair enough," I said simply. I knew this was coming, though I did not think my retribution in the stadium would have been so bad. It was a fair and effective lesson.

Chris won his match, during which Jade was knocked out. Ray was almost knocked out as well by a Poliwhirl but was able to use his psychic powers to confuse and mentally assault the Poliwhirl before evolving into a Golduck. Chris looked incredibly happy on the T.V. and took his badge before leaving the arena to collect his prize.

Due to the fact that there are no T.V.'s in the gym waiting room, Chris did not know what had transpired during my match. That didn't last long, though, for after Sheila was finished congratulating him and after we had left the gym, she rounded on me and recounted to him what I had done.

Sheila was entirely against everything I did with Pikachu and said, "That was wrong. You should not have caught him and you should not have forced him to fight for the sole purpose of selling him afterwards."

"Well, if you could find him an owner that isn't the Pokemon Traders Guild, then you should have shown him to me. Or you should have just taken him yourself" I said, becoming annoyed.

"He's YOUR responsibility," Sheila said, her voice rising.

"And I made sure he doesn't end up in someone's long term storage. I've only used him in one battle against one pokemon; the weakest one, no less," I retorted.

"And you don't think maybe it was a _little_ disrespectful to gym leader Katherine? To use her gym as a stage?"

"Isn't that what the gym challenges are, though? A stage to showcase the prowess of one's pokemon?" I said philosophically.

"Don't give me that! You know _damn_ well what gym challenges are here for and why you are competing."

"I don't want the Pikachu and I didn't want to travel back to Viridian Forest to release him. Maybe you WERE right and I shouldn't have caught him, but it's already done and we are too far from Viridian to simply go back. This was the most effective way I could think of to give him to someone who will care for him."

"That's Tauroscrap and you know it. You don't actually care for the Pikachu. You just want what you think he's worth and this was the only way you could think of to make people see it the same way."

"Look, if I really didn't care about the Pikachu, I would have used him in the fight against the Gyarados. He would have stood a chance against the Gyarados' double weakness to electricity. I kept my promise to Pikachu which was only to use him in one battle."

Sheila was taken aback by that and said, "I didn't realize you had made a deal with Pikachu. It's still wrong."

"I know. Katherine already let me have it. I get it; it was a shitty thing to do. It won't happen again. She took away my award money and publicly whipped my pokemon in front of me. Please let it go; I won't do something like that again."

"I hope so because it was low. But if you promise that you won't do something like that again, I'll leave it alone."

"Thank you. Leader Holmes invited me to bring my Absol in after gym hours, so if you both want to join, you can," I said to her and Chris.

Chris had been silent. He chose to remain that way for the most part, but nodded at my invitation. Sheila accepted it as well and we all went back to the Pokemon Center to admit our injured pokemon for medical treatment. We also celebrated in the meantime with a hot meal and waited for the gym to close.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

It was 7:00 when we arrived out front of the Cerulean City Gym. It was 7:30 before Katherine Holmes appeared from a side door and called out to me. "Wow, I didn't realize you would be bringing your companions."

"We wanted to see if he was bluffing about learning his lesson from you, ma'am," said Sheila with a smile on her face.

"Haha. Well I'll have you know that I didn't take his mockery lightly. I did, indeed, teach him a lesson. I guess it's fine that you both join us. I should have realized that you would come anyway," Katherine Holmes said, with a tinge of amusement. I rolled my eyes and walked towards the gym doors. "Oh, no. We aren't going inside the gym. We are actually going to my hatchery. Follow me."

"Hatchery? I thought you might want to buy my Absol."

"I said we would discuss its future. Now come on and we will talk on the way."

I nodded and followed. We ended up getting into a nice car. I didn't know what kind of car it was but it had leather upholstery and smelled fairly new. I assumed it was expensive.

"So I have a proposal," Holmes said. She was sitting in the passenger's seat and looking back to us while a valet drove. "First, though, I would like to inspect this Absol for myself. But I can do that when we arrive. For now, will you show me Absol's holopanel?"

I did so, sending a bright blue apparition into the air above the Absol's pokeball. Holmes looked it over and said, "Hmm. 29 is a pretty high level for a wild-caught. And female. Interesting. How much time has she spent outside of the ball since you caught her?" she asked.

"Not much, I'm afraid. I released her a couple times in the caves of Mt. Moon, but I couldn't see her very well and I didn't want to give her the chance to hurt me or my friends. Other than that, I did make sure she was sleeping before I returned her each time, though her slumber usually had to be induced."

"I see. So she's essentially feral…"

"Well, I have made progress with her. She wasn't trying to attack me at every opportunity when I released her on Route 4 a couple times."

"Well _that's _something," said Holmes with a little sarcasm.

Sheila and Chris remained silent, listening to our conversation. The last ten minutes of the drive were spent in awkward silence since Holmes was finished asking me questions. I felt relieved when we finally pulled into a facility north-west of city limits.

We exited the car, which had been parked outside of the large building, and followed Holmes inside. The ceiling of the building looked to be made of reinforced glass and let the light from the setting sun enter. It was getting darker so electric lights were the main source of illumination. Most of the building's floor was water, separated into pools by fences. There were catwalks that allowed breeders to look down into the pools, as well as separate walkways on the ground level which allowed breeders access to the pools. There were underwater and above-water kennels, sprinkler systems, and misting systems built into the infrastructure of the building. We could see all the workings from behind a glass wall, in a room that overlooked the hatchery.

There was a large patch of artificial grass in a square room about fifty feet wide. _This is probably where pokemon are shown to prospective buyers. _"Alright, now let's see this Absol," Holmes said, as she released a Golduck.

I released the Absol and it appeared, sitting and staring at me with a look of boredom. "Absol, this is gym leader Katherine Holmes. She is a very adept trainer and she wants to have a look at you." The Golduck relayed the message and the Absol snorted.

"Hmm. She seems to be a little stubborn. She isn't attacking, which is a good sign. There is potential here," Holmes observed. She was looking at the Absol with admiration. "Here is my proposal: I will offer a trade. I would like to have the Absol, and in exchange, you may browse the water pokemon here and pick one. I will consider your choice and decide if it is a fair trade."

I was taken aback, and so were Chris and Sheila. We all emitted a collective gasp before I asked, "I can have my pick of _any _pokemon here?"

"Within reason. Your Absol would be a valuable addition to Cerulean City as a disaster forecaster. Plus I would personally see to it that she is taken care of. I don't think you are going to get a better offer than this," Holmes said in a businesslike manner.

I didn't need further convincing. I knew how good of a deal this was. I said, "Alright. Deal," and followed her into the hatchery after recalling the Absol.

Katherine Holmes led me atop the catwalks and allowed me to peer down inside the five tanks. In the first tank I saw a snowy bank beside presumably cold water. In that tank, I saw five or six Piplup hopping around on their little penguin feet, several Seel and several Spheal swimming or scooting around on the ice.

I kept browsing and saw another tank – tank 2 – filled with Carvanha, Squirtle, Shellder, and Krabby. Past that, I looked into tank 3 to see several Tentacool, Staryu, and Totodile. Tank 4 held Psyduck, Poliwag, Slowpoke, and Mudkip. And tank 5 held Goldeen, Magikarp, Remoraid, Mantyke, and Horsea.

Sheila paused over tank 1 and said, "Awww. Spheal are so cute and fat. I want one so bad…"

Chris looked over and laughed before saying, "I already have Ray. If I wanted another water type, it would be a Piplup."

"They are so cute, too!" exclaimed Sheila. "I wouldn't mind a Squirtle, either."

After I looked into all the tanks and thought to myself for a while, I turned to Holmes and said, "These are all very young-looking pokemon."

"You are very observant," she responded.

"I don't want a baby or a common-bred. Where do you raise your water pokemon from higher stock? For instance, pokemon bred from your own team?" I asked.

"Hmm you are a bit more intelligent than you let on," Holmes said with wink. No doubt she was not going to let my gym display go. "Fine. And yes; your Absol is worth much more than these small fries. Follow me."

Sheila gave me a smile and said, "Wow, I wouldn't have picked up on that…" I shrugged and we followed Holmes back down the catwalk.

Holmes led us over to a metal door and typed in a code before it opened with a _whoosh_ and showed us a very long corridor with doors on each side; it must have been several hundred feet long. The walls in this corridor were a mix of reinforced glass and steel, with keypads next to each door. As I walked down the long hall, I peered through the glass and saw that, though we were on the ground floor, we were far above larger tanks. The doors led to metal walkways and stairs leading down into the larger tanks below. Past some of the doors, diving boards were placed so that trainers could presumably just dive down into the tanks.

Next to each door, there was an electric board which had names posted. The first door to my left said, "Kallan – Drake." I looked in and saw a few Piplup and Prinplup. I even saw Kallan, Holmes League Empoleon, swimming around with a few of them. I wasn't sure who Drake was but I assumed it was the mother, considering Kallan was Male.

I continued looking, and among the few that I saw, the ones I liked were a Feebas, a fish which evolved into the formidable serpentine Milotic, a Magikarp bred from the Gyarados that beat my team, a Prinplup from Kallan's lineage, a Kabuto bred from Aoro's league Kabutops, and a Horsea bred from Volker's league Kingdra and Holmes' league Seadra.

Judging by the pokemon that could possibly evolve from the ones I picked, and the training requirements needed for them, I narrowed my options to the Feebas, the Kabuto, and the Horsea. Milotic are formidable in that they are both very powerful with special attacks and have a very hardy constitution, which allows them to take quite a beating before being weakened. They are pure water type and can also heal themselves.

Kabutops are water/rock type, and they have devastating attacks due to their abnormally large scythes. They have incredible defense, due to their rock subtype, and they are also fairly rare because they were originally bred from DNA cloned from fossils. At that current moment in time, Aoro and a few others were the only trainers to have a Kabuto or Kabutops.

Lastly, Horsea can eventually evolve into Kingdra, the dragon/water type, but the problem is that no one knows how to make a Seadra evolve into one. Bruce Volker is one of only two pokemon trainers in the history of the League to have owned a Kingdra. Some speculate that the Kingdra is one of the main reasons he was able to take the championship. Despite the fact that Kingdra are incredibly rare, their pre-evolution Seadra also make magnificent fighters. They have powerful special attacking capabilities and strong resistances to special attacks.

Regarding pokemon evolution, it is known that many pokemon will evolve after reaching a certain level of aptitude. For example, Garchomp will evolve from Gabite after a very high level. Some pokemon require a higher level to evolve than others, because their third tier evolutions are so powerful. Dragons are known to have the highest potentials but the highest ability requirements.

Other pokemon can evolve into a third evolution after specific requirements are met. These requirements are generally held secret by the trainers whose pokemon have met those requirements and evolve because of them. The reasons have varied, but it is generally considered a mark of pride for a trainer to find a method of evolving his or her pokemon which doesn't evolve from the natural growth of strength. Furthermore, part of the privilege of having such a powerful pokemon comes from finding that secret and specific method of evolution.

For example, it is not known how Haunter evolve into Gengar, Seadra into Kingdra, Scyther into Scizor, or Nidorino into Nidoking. Some people have figured out hints throughout history, but the actual method used to evolve the pokemon has remained a mystery. For example, Nidorino and Nidorina have allegedly evolved using some sort of stone, and some have supposedly evolved in Mt. Moon.

Only a few pokemons' evolutionary catalysts have been recorded, including Alakazam, Machamp, and Gallade. For example, Machamp have been produced after a certain number of foes have been physically beaten by a Machoke. The fact that some third-tier evolutions are reached through secret, specific means has led many to speculate that numerous pokemon lines with only two tiers are really three-tier pokemon lines whose last evolution has not yet been discovered.

I made up my mind, taking into account weaknesses and potential, and approached Holmes with my decision. I said, "I know which pokemon I would like to have a look at."

"Is that so? Alright, which one is it?"

I led her to a door on the right and pointed down towards the water. Next to the door, the electric panel said, "Tullius – Marina."

Holmes looked at me with a serious look and said, "You want the offspring of Volker's Kingdra, Tullius, and my Seadra, Marina?" I nodded and she said, "Maybe you _are_ as dumb as you look. _Any_ offspring of Volker's Kingdra is worth more than an Absol, even at her current level, let alone one that was bred with Marina."

I was slightly crestfallen, but I could sweeten the deal for her. I already knew that the value of such a pokemon was much higher than that of my Absol, but since she tried to con me in the beginning, I had seen it fit to do the same. "You're right. Just checking. But what if I had more to offer?"

"Like what?" Holmes said, scrutinizing me.

"Perhaps I could offer an additional 50,000Pb," I added. I had amassed a considerable fortune from hunting Stantler and other pokemon and my funds stood at 80,000Pb.

"Sorry, kid. I would need more than that. If it was the offspring of Tullius and a normal pokemon, I would consider it. However, its mother is Marina."

I was growing slightly anxious. "What if I gave you Pikachu, too," I said simply.

"I told you I wasn't going to buy the Pikachu from you," Holmes responded.

"This is not an offer brought from the fight. This is simply what I have to offer. You've seen how strong he is. I could easily sell him for over 20,000Pb given Champion Red's story and how rare an adept Pikachu is," I said.

"You are correct; the Pikachu is very strong. However, I am the _water_ gym leader. What use have I for the electric rat?" she questioned.

"Well, you wouldn't have offered to take him off my hands as part of our wager if you weren't interested in him. He is a valuable little anomaly, regardless of your type preference. I'm sure someone you know wouldn't mind having him," I said, pulling a personal card on her. I knew she had a daughter who wasn't following in her footsteps as a water specialist.

That elicited a discreet scowl from Holmes and she said, "You know, you may not be as dumb as you look, but I still wouldn't give the offspring of Tullius and Marina to a random trainer for less than the Absol, Pikachu, and 100,000Pb."

I then became slightly panicked, but said with a level head, "How about I give you both pokemon and 70,000Pb. I can't do better than that. You've seen me battle and you said so yourself that I am fairly smarter than I look. I am gunning for the top and I won't mistreat my pokemon. You saw that for yourself when I kept my word to Pikachu. You could leave one of Marina's children in much worse hands," I fought.  
"You _did_ keep your word with him, assuming you gave him your word. Though I don't see why you wouldn't have used him against my Gyarados if you hadn't given him your word to make him fight only one battle. And you didn't use your Houndoom against my Gyarados to try and beat him. I believe that you would treat the child of Marina well. One thing, though." She bent down slightly to look me directly in the eyes. "Have you experienced the death of one of your pokemon?"

Raeda's screams flashed in my mind and I recoiled. Sheila made a pained face and Chris looked down. My reaction was apparently visible as Holmes' eyebrow raised. I had to clear my voice before saying, "Y-yes, ma'am. In Mt. Moon."

"I see," she said. Her serious expression never faltered. "Do you mind me asking what kind it was?"

I started breathing faster as anxiety started gripping my lungs. Sheila interjected, "It was his Ninjask, Raeda," and then walked over and put a hand on my shoulder. I thought I had moved on, but I had never actually discussed it. Every time I recounted those events, I felt depressed and sad. I did not dwell on her, but the memory of her made me anxious. I actually felt relieved that Sheila answered for me.

"I apologize for bringing up an obviously sore subject," Holmes said. "I wanted to know if you are aware of the pain that one can possibly experience in the worst case scenario. Knowing that you have experienced the agony that can arise from mistreating a pokemon makes me more comfortable with allowing my pokemon's life to be in your hands. You know the pain and you will not take that chance again, if your reaction is anything to go by. I will part with a Horsea for your two pokemon and 80,000Pb."

"Please, I can't go that high. Make it 75,000 and we have a deal," I pleaded. "I need to have a little money for the road."

"77,500 and not a buck lower," she said.

Sheila looked at me and said, "I will help you with whatever expenses you can't pay for."

"Thank you so much, Sheila. I will repay you somehow for this piece of mind," I said to her. I looked to Holmes and said, "You've got a deal."

For the first time since we started talking about the deal, Holmes' expression changed from one of seriousness to one of happiness. She typed a set of numbers into the keypad next to the door and led me into the tank. The walkway made loud clanking noises as we progressed downward.

The walkway released us on the edge of the pool, where a large area of artificial grass was cultivated. There were three Horsea in the tank and two Seadra, one of which was dark green. The dark green Seadra was Marina and was significantly larger than the other Seadra, who was presumably another of her offspring.

Holmes then slapped the surface of the water, and a few seconds later, Marina rose up to meet her. "Please bring the young ones up," she said. Marina disappeared underwater and then appeared later with her three Horsea. She was about four and a half feet tall and her Horsea were all around two feet tall.

The Horsea were all different shades of blue/green. One was a dark green, like its mother, one was a light blue, like its father, and the last one was a mix that looked aqua. "The dark green and aqua ones are female and the blue one is male," Holmes said to me as she brought them to the grassy patch.

When she lowered them onto the grass, they actually managed to stay aloft in the air. I knew some water pokemon were able to exist and travel outside of their habitat once certain powers started to develop, but I had not seen it for myself until now. The Horsea were all hovering above the ground, but occasional wavering, with their tails unfurling and curling repeatedly. I had done a little research when I was still in school and knew that they utilized their power over water to control the very water in their bodies to keep themselves aloft. Though they could travel above the water, they were rather slow.

I spent some time playing with the little water seahorses along with Sheila, Chris, and Holmes. In about ten minutes, I found the male to be almost excessively aggressive, the aqua one to be fairly mellow, and the green one to be a little stubborn. I knew which one I wanted and I said to Holmes, "I would like the green one."

She looked at me and smiled before picking up the two-foot-tall green seahorse. She turned to Marina and said, "I know you trust my judgment, and I think this trainer would be a wonderful match for your little girl. He will take her far. Here, I'll let you have the night with her," she said and then lowered the Horsea into the water. It swam around and Marina followed it.

Holmes turned to me and said, "Meet me tomorrow at the gym and I will make the trade. The monetary transaction will be done with a card reader. Bring your bank card and your two pokemon and we will finalize the transaction. Also, I would like to know how such a young trainer came across such a large amount of money."

"I know the value of the pokemon that my team and I hunt for food. I save the valuable parts to sell. Plus, I learned to regulate my finances from my father who used to be a Rapidash breeder before his ranch was destroyed by my Gabite's mother. I guess I'm both lucky and knowledgeable of how not to waste my money."

"So you are the legacy of the fallen Rapidash breeder. Interesting. Well, let's have a late dinner and discuss your group's travels. I want to get to know you all a little better. Have you thought of a name for the Horsea?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. I will name her Ceto."

"I like it; it's both a lovely and powerful name," Holmes said with a smile. Her face suddenly darkened and she frowned while saying, "But don't you forget that I will always hold you in relative contempt until you formally and personally challenge me. I will not forget."

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

It came as an immense relief to find out that my pokemon were ready to be retrieved from the pickup counter before it closed that night. I needed to see that Azrael and Gilles were alright. Upon the reclamation of our pokemon, Sheila, Chris, and I descended on the elevator to the standard underground PokeCenter field in order to interact with our teams.

Within seconds of our arrival, Larry was bounding about on his two hind legs and braying happily, Pierce was rolling around in the artificial turf, and Rufus was following suit, singeing the grass. Gilles and Azrael, though, were looking worse for wear and dejected. Gilles wafted over to me with a forlorn countenance and Azrael simply started walking away.

"Gilles, don't look so sad. If you are feeling disappointed in your performance, then you don't have to anymore. It's my fault this all happened. I won't make this mistake again, though," I told him, trying to comfort him. He seemed to lighten up a little, but he was still much more downcast than usual.

I then walked over to Azrael and looked at his mangled dorsal fin, noting the large chunk missing from its base which caused a wave of guilt and remorse to wrack my nerves. His dorsal fin now looked more like a jagged scythe than a proper fin. I put my hand on his back and Azrael immediately reacted by bringing his face to mine and lifting his lips over his teeth while growling loudly. I reflexively flinched, but held his gaze. I was shocked at his behavior, but I knew why he was choosing to act that way.

In a way, I had betrayed Azrael and Gilles, I thought. I had betrayed him with poor direction, poor judgment, and poor character. He also rarely lost in a fight, and had never lost as a Gabite before. He was angry and he needed space. "Azrael, I am so sorry. I failed you today. You can be sure it won't happen again, as well. I'll leave you alone for now, but we're still a team and you are still my best friend. I will still protect you in any way I can. I know you may not believe me now, but I'll prove it to you in time. I won't let you down again."

Azrael's lips unfurled and hid his teeth once again, and I cupped my hand over his cheek before he turned and trudged away. I then returned to Gilles and the rest of my friends. I had screwed up; that much was terribly clear and I felt horrible with myself.

The worst part was that a side of me knew it was a bad decision from the start. I knew Sheila would get mad at me because I knew it was wrong. Why did I do it? Sheila was right, again, about something. I was being selfish, and that line of thinking would drive a wedge between me and not only my pokemon, but also Chris and Sheila. I decided to make a change.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

I waited outside of the Cerulean City gym early in the morning, anxiously awaiting Holmes' arrival. I had hardly slept the past night, deciding to call my parents before joining Sheila and Chris at the same bar where we had celebrated Chris' birthday. Contrary to what I had expected, my father was actually audibly happy for me. My mother even congratulated me, diverging from her normal path of silent acceptance.

I kept to my preference for water, but eventually accepted a beer from an anonymous source. As unwise as it probably was to drink it, I had two friends nearby who actually pressured me slightly into trying it. I found it to be a little bland, not tasting horrible but not tasting good. It was enough for me to say, "Ok, I've had a drink. Now leave me alone about alcohol," and I was rewarded with a relaxation of their pressure.

Sheila and Chris had joined me, both wanting to see my new Horsea. Apart from us, there were a few gym trainers waiting. Eventually, I spied Holmes' car approaching. I had everything I needed and the suspense was killing me.

Holmes' vehicle entered a camouflaged garage and she unlocked the gym doors from inside minutes later. She looked at me and said, "I see you're here early. Wouldn't have expected anything less. Follow me to my office."

I did so, trailing Sheila and Chris. The transaction turned out to be a relatively simple endeavor. We were finished with the trade in five minutes, after which Holmes said to me, "I don't need to tell you to take care of little Ceto, but I will anyway. Marina, as a mother, is very attached to her offspring, so visit occasionally. It would bring Marina some happiness to see her child. Other than that, I wish you good luck in your travels. I need to return to my duties as a gym leader. Goodbye."

I took the pokeball, which was aqua and black in color, back to the pokemon center quickly. We went down to the pokemon field and, amidst several other trainers, released our pokemon nearby. Azrael's presence seemed to scare most of the other trainers away, given his tendency to snarl at anyone who wandered too close to us.

After I snagged a small pool of water for myself, I released Ceto into its depths. She looked up at me and I looked back down at her. She was dark green, had dark blue eyes, and tan stomach scales. The large sea horse then squirted me in the face with a line of water, blinding me for a second and causing Gilles to cackle uncontrollably.

Ceto sped off into the pool, shaking as if she were giggling. I laughed, took off my shoes and socks, and sat on the edge of the pool with my feet submerged. I looked at her ball and saw that she was level 20. It also listed her known moves, courtesy of Holmes.

Ray was swimming around and playing with Ceto, much to the delight of Chris and Sheila. I brought all of my pokemon near to me and then called out Ceto to address her. It took a couple attempts before I realized she wasn't listening to me, choosing, instead, to play with Ray. Remembering Holmes' method, I quickly slapped the surface of the water. It grabbed the little Horsea's attention immediately, and she rose out of the water.

I smiled at her and said, "Hello little Ceto. Welcome to our family. This is Azrael," I said pointing to him, "this is Gilles," pointing to my ghost, "and this is Rufus," pointing at my hound. "We are a team; as such, we live like a team, train as a team, and win as a team. You have a lot of potential and I intend to see you reach your highest point. In order for us to accomplish this feat, you must trust me, obey me, and offer the same courtesy to Azrael, Gilles, and Rufus. Do you understand?"

Pierce relayed the message and Ceto jumped out of the water and sprayed bubbles onto my face. I laughed and said, "That's good! Now let's have a training session," and then set up a small series of exercises to gather an understanding of Ceto's capabilities.

After about an hour of target practice, distance measuring, speed recording, and such, Azrael suddenly started snarling in the direction at my back. Sheila's eyes also fixed on a point behind me. Soon after I heard a voice say, "It must have been a bitch watching your pokemon get their asses beat into the ground. How cocky and stupid do you have to be to challenge leader Holmes' Gyarados?"

I turned to see a familiar freckled face hosting dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. I heaved a sigh. _Just who I needed to see… Alex._

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

Author's Note:

Sorry for the wait everyone. Classes take time, and so does studying. Well, we have a new addition to the team! And our hero has learned a very valuable lesson the hard way. The next update will be a refinement of chapters 1 and 2, so I won't begin chapter 11 until I finish with that. Thank you everyone for comments and, as always, more to come!


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